Russell Crowe Recalls ‘Sticking to His Guns’ About No Sex Scenes in ‘Gladiator,’ ‘Failed’ Sequel, ‘Fantastic’ ‘Highlander’ Reboot

The 'Gladiator' actor is at the Taormina Film Festival for the world premiere of Derrick Borte's 'Bear Country'

By Rafa Sales Ross

Rafa Sales Ross

Guest Contributor

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Russell Crowe proudly recalled “sticking to his guns” about not having sex scenes with Connie Nielsen in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.” Speaking at the Taormina Film Festival, the New Zealand-born actor was asked about a “certain attitude” he showed about the 2024 sequel to his 2000 Oscar-winning epic. 

Crowe elaborated on the sequel’s issues by speaking at length about his moral stance regarding the original film. “When we were shooting that film, there was a lot of pressure. The studio, the producers [thought] there should be sex between Maximus and the female characters. I kept pushing back.”

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