Taika Waititi Reveals Why Russell Crowe Is His "Guilty" Pleasure | Sorry Not Sorry

When Taika Waititi had Russell Crowe join the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder, everyone thought the director was mad.

Crowe is known for his more serious, Oscar-contending movies, and placing him in a somewhat silly extended cameo as Zeus felt at odds with the actor’s reputation. However, the movie was inspired by Taika Waititi’s love of all things Russell Crowe, with the director a self-confessed superfan. 

WATCH: Taika Waititi Can Watch His Guilty Pleasure Movie HOW MANY TIMES?! - YouTube

During this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Taika Waititi spoke to JustWatch and used the encounter to out himself as Russell Crowe’s number one fan, proclaiming Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as his favourite film.

Taika Waititi Loves Russell Crowe A LOT

Although Master and Commander sees the always strong Russell Crowe in fine form, the movie itself is not viewed as his absolute best. A quick look on Rotten Tomatoes places documentary The Ghost of Richard Harris as Crowe’s best-rated project with a perfect 100% score. 

He is, however, speaking as himself in that film; his best-rated performance can actually be seen in L.A. Confidential, which has the near perfect score of 99%. To find Master and Commander you have to scroll down to ninth position, the movie receiving a modest 85% score.

Master and Commander may only be number nine on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is number one in Taika Waititi’s eyes. “I’m not sorry to love that film,” he told us. His reasons for loving Master and Commander so much appear to begin and end at the involvement of Russell Crowe as he continued, “I love Russell Crowe with all my heart.”  

Crowe’s performance is also something that is highlighted in the critics’ consensus, which reads, “Russell Crowe's rough charm is put to good use in this masterful adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's novel.” Still, although Crowe’s performance is continually praised, and the film itself received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture, Crowe was locked out of a nomination. 

Taika Waititi cares not for this as the director kept the love-in going by making a very bold statement. “I think he’s one of the greatest actors we’ve ever had,” Waititi claimed. Considering the millions of actors past and present, that is a very strong opinion, but Russell Crowe has clearly stolen his heart as his viewing habits demonstrate, with Waititi adding: “I watch every Russell Crowe movie 50 times.” 

This could be a flippant statement, but given Waititi’s excitement levels throughout the conversation, he is potentially telling the truth. Taika Waititi is such an avid admirer of Russell Crowe that he is happy to shout his love from the rooftops and advised JustWatch that, “you can tell him that” in reference to his obsessive viewing habits. He then revealed, “I mean, I have told him that. He knows,” but the director evidently wants Russell Crowe to be reminded of his affection at every opportunity. 

Knowing how deep and profound Taika Waititi’s love for Russell Crowe is, one can only imagine how excited he was to get to work with him in Thor: Love and Thunder. His movie crush on the actor also explains exactly why he let Crowe insist upon that heavy Greek accent. 

Where To Start With Russell Crowe Films

Like many Australian actors, prior to making it big, Russell Crowe starred in Australian soap Neighbours. Although only in four episodes, the spectre of Neighbours has followed his career (though not quite as strongly as for his L.A. Confidential co-star Guy Pearce). 

From Neighbours, Crowe first made waves in Romper Stomper. Directed by Geoffrey Wright, Romper Stomper is an intense and violent drama that tells the exploits and downfall of a neo-Nazi group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne. Not an easy watch for sure; Romper Stomper almost certainly influenced both Chopper and American History X, the three movies making a rather depressing triptych of viewing. 

L.A. Confidential came five years later and helped launch his career in America. The movie is a stunning crime thriller featuring a cast who are at the top of their game across the board. Then in 2000, Crowe starred in both The Insider and Gladiator (Crowe received his first Oscar for the latter), the two films cementing his place among the Hollywood A-List. These films, along with A Beautiful Mind, make a great starter pack for Russell Crowe, but there is one of his more recent movies that you have to watch to be a true connoisseur of the actor’s work. 

The Pope’s Exorcist may only hold a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 51% (which swings it from Fresh to Rotten), but the audience score is a mighty 80%. This chasm of opinion is all because of Crowe. The movie itself is a very tropey and generic exorcism story, and yet Russell Crowe is having the time of his life in the picture. His character, Father Gabriel Amorth, is a rather charismatic fellow, and there is something about watching him race around town upon his little vespa that is simultaneously ridiculous and mesmerising. 

The audience response to Crowe in the film has been so great that fans have been desperate for a sequel ever since, and if Taika Waititi has potentially seen it 50 times like he claims to do with all of Crowe’s movies, then maybe he is the man to bring that dream to life.