Today Show NBC – 7:42 am – 7:49 am EST
Jill: It was great, he is an amazing guy, and I’ll tell you he just received a Golden Globe Nomination for his role in A Beautiful Mind. And I sat down with Russell Crowe Recently to talk about the movie which he absolutely loves and other things he doesn’t love, like the press.
Scene from the
movie “Welcome to Princeton…”
Russell: It was an intense role, but it was a great script.
Scene from movie “Natural code breaker…”
Russell: I have a thing that I call the goose bump principle. If I’m emotionally effected I’ll get physically get goose bumps and then I know what I’m going to do…
Scene from movie “Truly original idea…”
Jill gives background of movie..
Russell: It’s a great story…
Jill: I edit don’t worry…
Russell: Edit and claps his hands as in “cut”
Scene from movie “Going crazy…”
Jill: Because this movie is based on a true story and one you couldn’t possibly prepare for because of what he has been through in his life. What he is battling. I would imagine there would be added pressure and responsibility.
Russell: Well every role requires separate research; it is just totally dependent on the story you’re telling. Uhmm, and some of the things that were obvious for this didn’t quite work you know. Nash is still alive (Jill: exactly) but Nash as the man he is now and Nash the younger man we start with in the movie umm, there’s no evidence of who he was, no film footage, I mean he was a famous in Mathematical circles but he certainly wasn’t a public figure.
Jill: And the fact that this script spans 5 decades, watching you age that’s a challenge in itself, to go from the college boy to the Nobel Prize Winner.
Russell: And the big problem is that you have 35 years of hospitalization and medication in the middle of his life. So we had to start out with the raw facts of his life. And we had 17 black and white photographs and of course his work, you know, none of which I could really understand (smile and a laugh). But I (Jill: Are you saying you aren’t intelligent enough to get his work…**Joking**) I gave it a read….(He smiles and laughs at the joke)
Movie Scene “ Jennifer banging on the door...”
More background on Russell, LA Confidential, The Insider, Gladiator, etc…
Jill: Here you are, you’ve won the Oscar and there is already so much Oscar buzz for you on this film. Is that pressure for you or do you say “whatever”…
Russell: Well, I mean there wasn’t any pressure last year. Something like that is umm you know, while it’s a great honor, the highest honor in my particular profession (Jill: right), its not something you can count on or covet, ummm its either going to come around or its not and you have to be kind of philosophical about it. And Um, for me, the most important thing on this film is to assist in the campaign to get Ron Howard recognized for the first time, after 16 feature films Ron has still never received a Academy Nomination for his work.
(Intermittent scenes from the making of the movie, Ron prevalent in the background)
Jill: We talked about the Oscar hype and excitement, how has that changed you knowing that the scripts that come to you, you can pick and choose from.
Russell: Umm, well, I’ve always made the hard decisions in the terms of the work. I’ve never umm seen it as and opportunity for revenue collecting you know, it’s always been more important to me then that.
Oscar scenes
Russell: There’s a bunch of stuff that comes with this job which is sort of stuff I really can’t stomach as a person, you know. Umm, that somehow you apparently give up your freedom when you become a public figure. Umm, and I’ve been violated and invaded more times in the last two years then I care to count and umm, that bothers me.
Jill: That goes with the territory right?
Russell: That’s what they say…but I don’t agree with that. I think, I think something should be done to control the parasites that live off the people in this business, because it is an art form and its about entertaining people. And I love a conversation I love having a chat with someone on the street, if they’ve enjoyed a film, or if they haven’t necessarily you know…um, but that level of communication is fantastic. But having to at a certain point cut through the Bull Shit (beeped out) can you say BS I don’t know? (Jill: you just did) on American TV. Because where I come from where we say what we mean…you know (Jill: I got that impression) This kind of wall of stuff builds up about you and that’s unfortunate because it gets between you and the people that would really appreciate the work if they didn’t have to wade through all of that crap that’s in the newspapers every day.
Jill: See you’re not that rude arrogant man I read all those things about …(Teasing)
Russell: Oh yes I am (smiling…)
Jill: Oh you are…(both laughing and smiling)
Jill: He’s a pussycat. A Beautiful Mind opens today. He is incredible and he will definitely receive and Oscar Nomination for this.
