‘It’s very easy for me to have friction with Americans because I’m very positive about what I want to do.’
– Russell Crowe
Russell arrived in L.A. determined to make his mark on Hollywood. Not that he had any doubts this would happen. In 1992, he had met up with Hollywood agent George Freeman from the world-famous International Creative Management (ICM) agency.
‘I asked him a couple of questions,’ Russell said. ‘They were questions other people had given me bullshit answers to, really personal questions. He looked me straight in the eye when he answered and I knew he was telling me the truth.
‘You get accused of being arrogant by some people because I seem to – in some people’s viewpoints – expect success. But it doesn’t surprise me when it comes, because I know how much work I put into it.’
His roles had been diverse enough to give him confidence in his talents, but it was Romper Stomper that stood out on his CV. And so he did what many other international actors do when they head to L.A. in a bid to find success there: they meet an endless number of people, press flesh with names they forget almost immediately and smile. A lot.
That was something which Russell did, although he disliked the hangers-on that surrounded the industry. But the final straw came when he attended a party held in his honour by ICM. ‘It was a very short party,’ Russell said. ‘I split. Hollywood parties are not my vibe. I’m into the more traditional Australian party: beer in a bathtub and you have a good sing.’
He would make the trip from Australia to L.A. more than a dozen times – mostly funded from his own pocket – and each time he would return disappointed. In a town where nearly everyone is a frustrated actor longing for his chance, it was hard to stand out. He was asked to play the game, but that was something he had very little time for.
A role in the Canadian World War II romantic drama For the Moment was a step in the right direction. It tells the story of a romance between Australian fighter pilot Lachlan (Russell) and his friend’s sister Kate (Sara McMillan). It received generally positive reviews, with most of the praise centred on Russell as the poetry-spouting army man.
‘Crowe is excellent as Lachlan, proving that even years before be became a box-office sensation he could anchor a film. His Lachlan could easily have been a mere stock character, the cocky young flier who learns some tough lessons about life and love (Top Gun, anyone?), but Crowe creates a character more complex, believable and thoughtful, a man we quickly grow to care about,’ said DVD Review, while Reel Views said that Russell was ‘far superior to anyone else in the cast’.
His mother also cites it as one of her favourites of her son’s movies.
While Russell’s career in Hollywood wasn’t progressing as fast as he would have liked, it didn’t meant that he would cut corners in the acting stakes. He took the role of Lachlan as seriously as any of his previous parts.
The film’s location manager, Dave Mahoney, remembered, ‘He was very hard on himself, and maybe that’s why he’s so good. From what I saw, as far as his temperament on set, I’ve seen a lot worse, that’s for sure. And from a lot less gifted. He was good, he knew he was good, and he expected good things from himself.’
Director Aaron Kim Johnston added, ‘He’s quite a perfectionist – he’s very professional. He approaches his craft and work with great intensity and preparation and a sense of perfectionism that is consummate. That’s why he is where he is.
‘I think he likes to be a maverick. It’s certainly part of his nature and the other part of it is that he likes to be a little bit of a disturber. I think he’s going to cut some of the bullshit out of things. If Russell’s involved, chances are it’ll be a little less processed. And that’s a good thing for audiences.’
However, Russell was despondent about his situation, often phoning his girlfriend Danielle nearly in tears. Ironically, it would be an Australian film rather than an American one that would get his hunger back. It was a script that Russell loved immediately and was one that would ruffle the feathers of fans who had begun to see him as a typical macho Australian heterosexual male.
‘People are going to go spare when they hear I’m playing a homosexual football player, and they already have. They’ve been just stunned. But the way I see it is that it’s one hell of a challenge.’
The Sum of Us told the story of Jeff (Russell), a gay rugby player whose father helps his son find Mr Right. It was a role he jumped at, not caring that it sent him back to Australia to make it. He had rejected several Australian film roles at the time but The Sum of Us was too good to turn down. He was quick to point out that he wasn’t bothered about playing a gay character.
‘There are many questions I would ask a character – for instance, “Do you believe in the death penalty?” – before I ever got round to “What’s your sexuality?” I think other factors are more important in terms of human relationships and the way society operates than what someone’s sexuality is. Sexual orientation is not something that people necessarily choose; it’s just who they are.’
John Polson would play his lover in the film, and the pair would head to gay nightclubs in Sydney, where Russell observed, ‘I got right inside the gay community without making it known, and I discovered for the most part they’re people looking for pretty much exactly the same thing as heterosexuals.’
While he was happy to head to gay spots, he wasn’t keen on researching man-on-man kissing with Polson. ‘I was waiting around when John came over and said, “Do you want to practise kissing?” I looked at him and said, “John, are you sick?” He said, “Well, I’ve never kissed a man before.” And I said, “Well, neither have I. But how do you think it would be if I went up to Sharon Stone before a love scene and said, ‘Hey Shaz, how do you feel about practising kissing?’” I don’t think so.’
It may have been an unusual request but for someone who prides himself on his dedication for research – ‘If you’re gonna be a pirate, wear a patch’ – Russell was somewhat defensive about it. Ironically, this perceived reluctance could be what makes The Sum of Us stand out. It’s impossible to know what other actors would have done with the character, but where some would add fey mannerisms to a gay character – which was seen in many films at the time – Russell imbued Jeff with a vein of laddish masculinity. The only thing that was different about Jeff from the other guys in the pub was his sexuality.
He explained, ‘It says, “OK, now look, he plays football, he’s a plumber, he’s a nice bloke, he loves his dad, he’s a very loyal son. He’s got all these aspects – he’s just got a difference in sexuality.” Now do you want to condemn him, do you want to vilify him, or do you want to understand that in the world there is a whole range of things going on and the banging of podiums and all the screaming and yelling should be done towards things that are much more important than sexuality?
‘I think The Sum of Us may have a central character at that particular point but it does go into other aspects of gay life and gay lifestyles. I don’t think that anybody ever intended that this was the absolute bible for how to live a gay lifestyle – this is just one particular guy.
‘The way I see Jeff’s “normality” is that you don’t really know [that he’s gay], and all the traditional things of masculinity are having a new light shined on them. That’s what I think it’s about.’
The film also managed to avoid the usual clichés that adorn gay dramas – by having the father (played by Jack Thompson) approve of his son’s sexuality. The only thing that hurts him is seeing his son not find the happiness he deserves.
To be fair to Russell, a reluctance to kiss his co-star in rehearsals didn’t translate on screen. He goes all out in the intimate love scene, which would of course receive some media attention from outraged columnists.
He would say when the film opened in 1994 that he hoped the film would tackle people’s perception of homosexuality. ‘If we can put a tenth of what we did for putting racism on the table for conversation with Romper Stomper, then I’ll be ecstatic.’
Actually, the film’s release would lead to suggestions and whispers that Russell was himself homosexual. Spencer remembers overhearing in a bar two people talking about a friend’s performance in the film – with one casually remarking that he knew Russell’s boyfriend. However, it turned out that this mystery pal happened to be a gay friend whom Russell had consulted about where the best gay bars were in a bid to get into character.
Russell had already met his on-screen father while he roamed the Australian TV sets as a youngster. ‘Jack was the star of the TV show I did when I was six years old. Then, 23 years later, I got to play his son. It was one of those great cosmic circles that this industry affords you every now and then. In many respects, Jack was my father in terms of screen performance,’ he said in 1997.
The pair’s chemistry is immediate in the film, and it seems to have translated off-camera. Indeed, Thompson hailed his ‘wonderful friend’, saying, ‘I admire his success, and that’s not such a silly thing to say either. I admire his success, because his success implies that an actor of that quality, of that heart, of that focus, of that sort of uncompromising search for quality, is vindicated and seriously vindicated. And that you can be a really good actor, and a successful movie star … I admire that enormously. I admire him as an actor, because he’s astute, he’s studied, and he’s instinctive at the same time, and that produces a very fine performance and makes him a delight to work with.
‘Acting is, of course, totally interactive, and it depends on the quality of the other person on the other side of the net, to extend the tennis metaphor. And if the person on the other side of the net is really good, and you’re kind of good yourself, you will see some fantastic tennis. I think some of the scenes in The Sum of Us between Russell and I are some of the best acting in my 30-year career, without a doubt.’
A minor hit in Australia, the movie garnered positive reviews, with The San Francisco Chronicle raving, ‘The Sum of Us isn’t exactly cutting-edge, but it takes a few chances (or what might be perceived as chances by an American viewing audience). Jeff’s homosexuality is a complete non-issue. There’s nothing political or tragic in his situation. In fact, he and the other characters frequently joke about it.’
And:
‘Thompson brings skill, humor and conviction to The Sum of Us, as does Crowe, who at 28 looks primed for stardom.’
Despite the film’s success, Russell still had an eye on Hollywood – and at this point it finally come calling. And it was one of their biggest female stars who was on the line.