Have You Welcomed Russell Crowe to Twitter?

It hasn't yet been officially verified by Twitter, but many folks seem to agree that the two-week old @russellcrowe feed on Twitter indeed belongs to the irascible Oscar-winning actor. And it's a lot easier to believe today, because, well, he's angry!

The point of contention -- and the first of many, it's to be assumed -- is over at Defamer, which excerpted a portion of Nicole LaPorte's The Men Who Would Be King, a new book on the DreamWorks empire. In the excerpt, Crowe's mildly ungentlemanly behavior in the lead up to and making of Gladiator receives it own hilarious close-up:

Never were Crowe's spirits more in flux than when he was to read the climactic, "And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next" scene, in which his character, Maximus, removes his helmet and reveals his identity. It was only the most seminal line in the entire movie, and yet Crowe was convinced that it was ridiculous - overwrought, puffery that no man would ever be caught dead saying, least of all a brawny, sword-carrying killer standing under the unrelenting African sun. Scott was one of the few people who seemed to understand Crowe, that underneath all that volatility was a very scared actor who needed to feel safe. Rather than blow up at him, Scott waited until the tantrum subsided. Then he agreed to shoot the scene the way Crowe preferred.

After doing the take, Crowe still looked dissatisfied. "Let me see the other script again," he said to Scott, referring to the loathed revision. After studying the page stonily, he shrugged. "Well, we might as well try it."

And so, the scene was reshot. Everyone agreed it was brilliant. Everyone, that is, but Crowe. "Russell, what's the problem?" Scott asked, finally showing a hint of exasperation. "It worked."

"It was shit," Crowe repeated, "but I'm the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh*t sound good." And with that he marched off.

Damn! Really, @russellcrowe?

on Gawker/Defamer, book re dreamworks If mentions of me are eg's of distance from the truth waste of paper written by a lying horse's ass

Glad we could straighten that out. Now about those Star is Born rumors...

· 'I Will Kill You with My Bare Hands,' and Other Fun Tales of Russell Crowe [Defamer]

· @russellcrowe [Twitter]



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