Russell Crowe Slams GLADIATOR II, Says the Filmmakers “Didn’t Understand What Made the First One Special”
Gladiator II arrived in 2024 with director Ridley Scott returning to the arena, but one person who isn’t cheering from the stands is Russell Crowe. The actor has spoken openly before about feeling disconnected from the sequel, yet his recent comments on Australia’s Triple J cut even deeper.
Crowe starred as Maximus in the 2000 epic Gladiator, a role that won him an Academy Award and became one of the most iconic hero performances of the last few decades. Hearing him lay out why the sequel doesn’t work for him gives fans a fascinating look at how he viewed the character and why the new film rubs him the wrong way.
Crowe explained that what made Scott’s original film resonate had nothing to do with spectacle. “I think the recent sequel that, you know, we don’t have to name out loud is a really unfortunate example of even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made the first one special. It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core.”
For Crowe, Maximus lived or died by that inner compass. The actor pushed hard to protect it during production, sometimes creating friction with people who wanted to craft a different version of the character.
“The thing is, there was a daily fight on that set. It was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character,” he said. “The amount of times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus, it’s like you’re taking away his power.
“So you’re saying at the same time he had this relationship with his wife, he was f*cking this other girl? What are you talking about? It’s crazy.”
That unwavering devotion to Maximus’s wife is what drives the heart of the original story. Her murder and the death of their child set him on his path, and Crowe always believed betraying that love would shatter the entire foundation of the character.
That’s why one of the major story choices in Gladiator II landed so poorly for him. The sequel reveals that Maximus had a past affair with Lucilla, played again by Connie Nielsen, which resulted in a son, Lucius, portrayed by Paul Mescal. For Crowe, that narrative decision directly contradicts the emotional integrity that defined Maximus.
Crowe has also said more than once that he was never asked for input as the sequel developed. Neither Scott nor anyone associated with Gladiator II reached out and Crowe never expected Mescal to contact him either, since Maximus’ death closed the chapter on his story.
Still, being constantly asked about a movie he isn’t connected to has clearly worn him down. He previously vented some of that frustration. “They should be f*cking paying me for the amount of questions I am asked about a film I am not even in.
“It has nothing to do with me. In that world, I am dead. Six feet under. But I do admit to a certain tinge of jealousy, because it reminds me of when I was younger and what it meant for me, in my life.”
Crowe’s comments offer a direct and surprisingly emotional look at why he believes Gladiator worked and why the sequel completely misses the mark.