WhileRussell Crowe’s career has been stacked with critically-acclaimed performances and major blockbusters he has also been a part of some historical failures, includingthe 2000 action thrillerProof of Life. In the movie, Russell Crowe portrayed Terry Thorne, a professional hostage negotiator and former member of the British Special Air Service, who assists in tracking down a woman’s kidnapped husband. The director, Taylor Hackford, imagined thatProof of Lifewas going to be a much bigger hit than it was.
Proof of Lifereceived mixed reviews and heavily underperformed at the box office, reeling in $62 million as the studio failed to profit against the movie’s $65 million budget. This was a major hit toRussell Crowe’s careermomentum after his legendary performance inRidley Scott’sGladiator,andthe actor never could have expected to be Hackford’s excuse as to why the project failed.
Proof Of Life’s Failure Was Blamed On Russell Crowe
Hackford Described Crowe As A “Very Difficult And Thorny individual”
Warner Bros. had pushed Hackford to cast a well-known leading man inProof of Life.Hackford saw unedited previews of Ridley Scott’sGladiator, one ofthe films that defined Crowe’s career, in which he starred and would soon receive an Oscar for Best Actor in praise of the performance. The director knew that Crowe was someone who could bring the character of Terry Thorne to the big screen, and fought to have the actor attached to his upcoming project.
The director knew that Crowe was someone who could bring the character of Terry Thorne to the big screen, and fought to have the actor attached to his upcoming project.
Iconic actress Meg Ryan was cast as the leading woman, which escalated intoa famous Hollywood scandal.Since Ryan was still publicly attached to Dennis Quaid at the time of filming, news of a romantic fling between her and rising star Russell Crowe sparked a spectacle for industry reporters.
WhileProof of Lifefailed to capture widespread attention in the US, the reviews from those who did see it were extremely mixed, leaning more towards the negative. With a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics slammed the movie’s lack of originality and substance.
Hackford ended up regretting his campaign to cast Crowe in the movie, asthis affair received more media coverage than the release itself.Hackford described the romance (viaThe Guardian) as a “destructive effect that overpowered the release of the film”.He also stated that Crowe was difficult to work with, describing him as a “thorny individual, who asks a lot and gives a lot.”
How Russell Crowe Hit Back At The Director
Crowe Dismissed Any Responsibility For The Flop
Once Crowe learned of the blame instilled in him and the remarks by Taylor Hackford,he uttered that the director was a “f–king idiot. That’s what he said? What a knob.“This statement left the press speechless and served as a bold but respected response to the actor’s first A-list controversy. During the production ofProof of Life, Crowe isolated away from the set and embraced the Ecuadorian nature around them.
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Russell Crowelater offered his own reasoning as to why the movie did not see the reception that the director expected, insisting thatthe December release date was a poor decision and stating that he “wouldn’t see a hostage film at Christmas.“He also awarded some of the blame to the director’s “reluctance to confront awkward truths” and claimed that the bad publicity of his affair held no relevance. Of his romantically involved co-star, he protested: “the ending of Meg’s prior relationship has nothing to do with me.”
$65 million
$62 million
39%
43%
Proof of Life
Cast
Proof of Life is a thriller directed by Taylor Hackford, starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. The film follows Alice Bowman, whose husband is kidnapped by guerrillas in South America, and negotiator Terry Thorne’s efforts to secure his release. As Thorne becomes deeply involved, tensions rise, revealing intricate personal and political stakes surrounding the hostage situation.
