RUSSELL CROWE may be more into his role as a
dad to two rowdy young boys right now than doing his tough guy
thing in movies. But that new nurturing side of his complicated
personality hasn’t smoothed over those sharp, gritty edges of
his on-screen persona, even when playing a dedicated cop in
Ridley Scott’s sinister crime thriller, "American Gangster."
Question: Now about ‘American Gangster,’
aren’t people going to watch this movie, and maybe think that
drugs are cool?
Russel Crowe: "No, no. I think you’re
missing the point altogether. But the reality of Frank Lucas’
life, is that a lot of it was glamorous. He ran a club that all
the celebrities went to. Like Wilt Chamberlain was his mate, and
they used to hang out. "
Q: So yeah, it was glamorous. But the bottom
line was that Frank Lucas made a living at the expense of other
people. So you can have your opinion about this, and see it
whichever way you want to see it. But I saw Ridley show very
carefully, just the destruction that Frank was bringing about.
Crowe: "Yeah, this man loves his family.
But Ridley also shows the destruction, and the tragedy, you
know? And he was a smart guy, and a good businessman. He took
the attitude about a regular product, and he took it into the
dark, murky depths of the heroin business. You know, he sold a
high quality product cheaper, and he put it out on the streets
at the right time. Like just at the time that the welfare checks
were in the mail. So he was a clever businessman. "
Q: After all you’ve been through in your own
life with cops, did playing a cop in ‘American Gangster’ change
your opinion of them?
Crowe: "No, I don’t think so. Nobody
wants zealotry in a police force, you know? You do want to know
that the guy who’s got that badge, is confident enough to judge
a certain level of benign corruption. Like a man steals some
food to feed his starving children. You know, okay, I can dig
that. It’s cool. Then just walk on.
"But there’s a line that you don’t want
crossed. And I think the thing that angered Richie so much, was
that he believed so heavily in that institution. He believed in
America as an institution.
And I think Richie’s a great patriot. Because
he went into the Marine Corps, and it wasn’t quite what he
thought it would be. So he went into the police force, and it
wasn’t quite what he thought it would be. Then he worked his ass
off and became a lawyer, and then a prosecutor.
And he was like, this doesn’t satisfy me
either. So I’ll do this thing that I know you’re allowed to do
in America. I’ll stand here, and I’ll be an advocate for
somebody who has no defense. Or who has done something
indefensible. And I’ll still stand up for them, and ask
questions on his behalf. I’d call him a rock chucker."
Q: Do you think your trouble with the law
here in the States has had an impact on your public image as a
star?
Crowe: "I don’t care. It’s not the thing
that I base my life on. It’s not even on the top one hundred of
my priority list."
Q: Do you feel like a different person, now
that you’re a family man?
Crowe: "My life has changed a lot since I
got married. And having two little boys. I’m very blessed. On a
daily basis, I get to experience a whole type of joy that I’ve
never had before. So it was the right time for me to become a
dad.
From where I came from, I’m a working class
boy, born in New Zealand. And I won an Oscar. And that took a
lot of personal fortitude. I had to go from one place to another
place on that journey, and nothing was ever guaranteed. It’s all
about right place, and the right time. "
"American Gangster" is released by United
international Pictures and distributed through Solar
Entertainment Corporation.
