Russell Crowe's Silly Side
By Fred Topel, Special to Hollywood.com
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Friday, October 10, 2008
Russell Crowe may have a reputation for his aggressive personality, but give him a live audience and he's just a big old clown. At the press conference for his latest film, Body of Lies, Crowe goofed off and made jokes, not only uncharacteristic of his intense persona, but funnier than any comedian who gets interviewed.
Between battles with the sound technician who kept cutting his microphone, commenting on his collaborators' answers and answering his own questions, Crowe's improv might not completely translate into print so we'll do our best to set up each scene. Incidentally, the Ridley Scott film casts him as a CIA agent orchestrating a middle eastern operation from the comfort and safety of his suburban home, while his field agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) is in harm's way on the ground.
Crowe was first to arrive at the press conference, where he quickly rearranged the seats so Scott would be in the center. Then he made jokes at the expense of DiCaprio's tardiness.
KEEP READING: Crowe calls for a DiCaprio stand in