Russell Crowe: An Open Letter

Dear Russell Crowe,

It’s a strange occurrence to see a celebrity lose his cool. There’s a snap here, a couple of punches thrown there. The illusion is ruined. A hero has fallen. We forget, Mr. Crowe, that celebrities are people, too.

You’re just like us (maybe more skilled in a trade). We eat, sleep, work and love. During our darker days we fight, say things we don’t mean (or worse – maybe we did mean them) and we might even break a heart or a face. Those photos of your children kept in the trailer while you were filming “Robin Hood” – we do the same thing to our desks at work and our refrigerators in our houses. Originally from New Zealand, you made Australia your home. You’ve had to make every location home and pictures sometimes are the closest you can get for a while.

Occasionally, someone crosses the line. We’ve been fed this image that you’re off punching paparazzi and cussing out every person in sight. I think we forget that we would do the same thing if we had people following us around with cameras all day, too.

And interviews? F*** those. You’re busy building a character, creating an image – an illusion – that we’ll use in a year or so to get away from our day-to-day stresses and escape. Taking out time from your work schedule to answer the same questions and point out the latest ill moment a photographer caught is not only personal and invading, but time consuming. Our escape is your day-to-day grind. And, again, we will forget that.

Sometimes we forget where you come from. Acting began as a way to support your musical dreams under the name “Russ le Roq.” Even though we forget, it’s been shown in your recent role in “Les Misérables.” Combining the ability to sing and act well is rarely seen, especially when taking a shot at it in “Les Mis,” one of the most well-known and best of musicals ever made.

However, it is not just those roles that speak to us. Your role as Maximus in “Gladiator” gave us a taste of what Roman fury must have been like. No words can express what you brought to us as John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind.” The reminder that anyone can overcome anything was particularly strong in “Cinderella Man.”

Sometimes, these are the reminders we need. On the screen, you’ve reminded us that anything is possible. Off the screen, you remind us of a very important detail: we forget what’s real.

The movies are often seen through rose colored glasses. What’s real is getting angry sometimes. What’s real is practicing to be as astute as you are in both acting and music. Those emotions you have to portray in movies? Well, those are all based in real life and I think we’d be lying if we claimed to never be angry, sad or in love.

So, basically, thanks for the reminder. Even though celebrities are often put on this pedestal, observed like aliens from another world, sometimes I think us non-celebs need to take a step back to realize we’re all people here. Thanks for being real.

Best,

Geneva Toddy