Russell Crowe Explains His Fascination with the Story of Jim Braddock: The story of a simple, honest, hard-working man who was dedicated to his wife and family during the Great Depression, and who just happened to have talent in the boxing ring, made an impact on Crowe the first time he heard the story. Crowe views Braddock as a hero who wasn’t fighting for fame or fortune, but only for the betterment of his own family.
Crowe was already sold on the idea of playing Braddock and while working on “A Beautiful Mind” with director Ron Howard, he became convinced Howard was the man to direct “Cinderella Man.”
“It’s coming up on the 70th anniversary of his big fight. I just also thought that every time I read something about Braddock, it was such a compelling story. Not just who he was as a champion, but who he was before he was a champion. Where he came from to get to that place and who he was after that. How he stayed engaged with society and how he watched his kids grow up, watched his grandchildren be born. He was desperately in love with his wife. I just think it was a great story and one I really wanted to tell,” said Crowe.
Russell Crowe on the Physical Demands of Playing Boxer Jim Braddock: Russell Crowe had to get into tremendous shape to play heavyweight champion Jim Braddock in “Cinderella Man” and he did so by only using the training methods that were around back when Braddock boxed. At the premiere of “Cinderella Man,” Russell Crowe admitted it was one of his toughest roles physically to date. “It was pretty demanding in the ring. For example, Captain Jack – Lucky Jack Aubrey [his character in "Master and Commander"]- was 228 lbs, Jimmy boxes at 178 so in reality, because Braddock was four inches taller than me, I had to get skinner and skinner to create his actual silhouette,” said Crowe before adding, “It was really enjoyable.”
The Changes in Russell Crowe Since Becoming a Father: “Being a dad’s fantastic and it’s changed my life. It’s changed for the better in immeasurable ways. Every single day of my life I get 40 or 50 extra chuckles that I never used to get. Quite frankly, I don’t know really how I survived the days without them. …Certainly [fatherhood] has made me more emotionally available.”
Russell Crowe on “Cinderella Man” and Returning to Movies After Taking Time Off to be a Dad:” “Well it’s the same old thing. We’ll see how it goes. I’m really looking forward to seeing it [with a crowd]. I do believe it’s Ron’s best work. I’ve seen it and it’s a special movie. I’m really nervous – not just about tonight – but I really want this movie to find its audience.”
