Oscar-winning Gladiator actor Russell Crowe is never far from a movie camera, and recently he has settled into Melbourne to film crime thriller Sleeping Dogs.
Crowe, 58, is filming the adaptation of Romanian author Eugen O Chirovici’s 2017 novel, The Book of Mirrors, the latest in a long list of film credits he’s clocked up during the past 12 months.
Some might say he’s the hardest-working AACTA president we’ve ever had, attracting multimillion-dollar government incentives, and making sure Australia remains in the eyes of Hollywood as a go-to place for making movies.
For Sleeping Dogs, he’s gathered a cast of local and international actors, crews and directors, including Scottish co-star and former Guardians of the Galaxy daughter of Thanos (Nebula), Karen Gillan.
She was so excited to be on set in Melbourne, she shared vision of her on set riding a camera dolly, telling the camera: “I’m a genius.”
Australian actor and poker player Lynn Gilmartin also had a moment, saying she had “unbelievable amounts of gratitude to be working on this film in Australia” with Crowe and Gillan.
Out and about
Crowe spends most of his time between his farm at Nana Glen and his Sydney apartment.
He hasn’t travelled to the US for four years, instead making films in Australia, Thailand, Malta, England and Italy.
He’s in Melbourne with his partner Britney Theriot, and plans on being there for about three months, with the majority of the filming taking place at Bacchus Marsh.
He was recently refused entry to a swanky Japanese restaurant in South Yarra in late February due to not meeting a dress code.
According to the Herald Sun, he has been spotted playing tennis with Ms Theriot, practising clay target shooting at the Werribee Victorian Clay Target Club in Quandong and enjoying a lunch break away from the cameras in the outer suburb of Melton.
He was seen at the Jolly Miller Cafe and nearby Woodgrove shopping centre where he signed autographs and took selfies with star-struck locals while eating lunch.
Melton local Rika Tiemes was a lucky fan who snapped a photo with him.
“He was a lovely guy. We had a bit of a laugh,” she told the newspaper.
“He wasn’t annoyed at me asking for a photo, I only took one as I didn’t want to keep him from eating his lunch.”
‘Perfectly cast’
Last year, Crowe enjoyed success with Poker Face and The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
His lead roles kept coming.
He plays a priest in the April release of The Pope’s Exorcist, an air force drone pilot in Land of Bad, and will most likely play the father of a Spider-Man villain in Kraven the Hunter, the two latter films in post-production and set for release this year.
In Sleeping Dogs, Crowe plays former homicide detective Roy Freeman (Crowe), who is undergoing treatment for Alzheimer’s.
His job is to open the books on a brutal cold case murder from his past – the murder of a college professor, played by New Zealand actor Marton Csokas (Lord of the Rings, The Equaliser).
“A death-row inmate Freeman arrested 10 years prior is proclaiming his innocence. Intrigued, fighting to regain his memory, and always chasing the truth, Roy enlists his former partner (Tommy Flanagan) to help him revive the investigation,” reads the official synopsis.
“Things unfold very differently as they close in on a magnetic, mysterious and elusive woman, Laura (Gillan). When distorted layers peel back uncovering a tangled web of contradictions and secrets, Roy is now forced to face a horrific reality that changes his world forever in the blink of an eye.”
Crowe also worked with Flanagan on Gladiator, and Thomas M Wright, who wrote award-winning film The Stranger, also gets a starring role.
Co-executive producer and Highland Film Group boss Arianne Fraser described Crowe as being “perfectly cast” for the job of an ex-cop.
“Working again with such a superb actor as Russell has exceeded expectations,” she said.
“He is perfectly cast in Sleeping Dogs, bringing a unique and thoughtful intensity to the character of Roy, the once-brilliant detective whose memory has failed him.”
Britney Theriot and Russell Crowe at the Australian Open in January. Photo: Getty
Meanwhile, when Crowe took over as AACTA president in 2020, he vowed to work with federal and state governments to foster local talent, be globally competitive and to “magnetise the industry to attract international productions”.
Looks like he’s doing just that.
Sleeping Dogs is getting $3.1 million in support through the Location Incentive program, will create 220 jobs for the locals, and use the services of more than 150 Australian businesses.
That’s a handy $23 million injection into the economy.
Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Steve Dimopoulos said the project builds Victoria’s pipeline of major screen productions and boosts the state’s profile as a screen leader.
“2021-22 set a record for screen production in Victoria and this year is already shaping up to be another bumper year. Sleeping Dogs will deliver hundreds of local job opportunities while boosting businesses in catering, transport, accommodation and more,” he said.
“This project will utilise our cutting-edge technical capabilities, our screen facilities, stunning locations across Melbourne and world-class crews and talent, with Victoria once again showcased as a global leader in screen production.”
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