Russell Crowe Talks Career Choices & Longevity: “I’ve Mismanaged My Relationship With Hollywood But Always To My Benefit” – Venice

Russell Crowe touched down at the Venice Film Festival on Friday with his concert documentary What Love Builds, about his life as a musician and band Indoor Garden Party, which premieres Out of Competition on Friday.

The Oscar-winning Gladiator actor, who has hit the headlines across his career for fiery outbursts, both private and public, was in a mellow and reflective mood as he talked about the documentary, a 15-year passion project digging into his love of music.

“My intention was to answer the question I probably get asked most and that is to define the difference between music and acting. The film attempts to explain the two things are completely intertwined for me,” he told a press conference ahead of the world premiere on the motivation for the film.

“Everything comes from the same creative source so hopefully I won’t get asked that question too many times after people have seen the film.”

Asked if there was any aspect of performing music that he preferred over acting, Crowe cited the connection with the audience.

“Everything that I do as a film actor is informed because I know how to drive an audience, live, even if they’re not in the room. I still carry that kind of expectation, understanding of what the audience is understanding, what they’re going to get out of any performance… that doesn’t mean at all that I’m any kind of a slave to the audience, it’s just that I’m aware, which comes out of coming out of rock and roll and theater.”

Crowe was also quizzed on whether he would opt to be a famous musician over a famous actor, if he could rewind his career.

“I’ve just rolled with opportunities as they’ve come in. I didn’t have a plan, and I still don’t have a plan. I just do what becomes apparent to me, pursue the things that I feel connected to. I wouldn’t want to change anything about the career that I had. Even in its darkest moments, it was incredibly educational,” he said.

Crowe said he was “totally happy” with where his was career was right now at the age of 62, citing upcoming credits Highlander, The Last Druid and Unabomber, suggesting his longevity as an actor was connected to his “pure perspective” when deciding what to do next.

“When I have to get up at 430 a.m. to go to a film set, I absolutely need to know why I’m getting up at 430 a.m,” he said. “I feel very sorry for actors who make decisions to go on films sets where they don’t believe in the subject matter that they’re working on, the character they’re working on, because how the hell you could you motivate yourself at that time you didn’t have a fundamental love for it, so I’m happy with the way things are cruising along.”  

Later he suggested these choices and his career freedom had also stemmed from his “mismanagment” of his relationship with Hollywood.

“I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I’ve mismanaged my relationship with Hollywood. But always to my benefit. It’s taken a long time actually for people to realize that I’m not American, because in that first flush of success, people just made a huge assumption,” he said. “I’m not driven by the same things that people who come necessarily from that culture are driven by.”