Given that so much of his working life is spent in the glare of the media spotlight, Russell Crowe spends as much time as possible tucked away on his ranch in Nana Glen, a few hours north of Sydney. “For me to remain fresh, being out of town in the country is just better for me. It’s also a better place for my wife and the boys,” he says.
Having spent a nomadic childhood in Australia, moving from town-to-town with his parents, Russell Crowe is grateful that his successful acting career has enabled him to stay put with wife Danielle Spencer and their two sons Charles [Charlie] Spencer, 5, and Tennyson Spencer, 2 ½. “My kids are growing up in a much more affluent environment than my wife or I experienced in childhood,” he notes. The couple make it a point, however, to keep the boys connected to the way the rest of the world lives.
“I remember Charlie went to school one day and when he came home I asked him how it went and he said, ‘They don’t have a lot of toys.’ That struck home so we do try and make sure they can empathize with people who are not in their situation.”
There are some luxuries that are too good to pass up, however! Charlie is particularly excited about Russell’s turn as the title character in the upcoming film Robin Hood; So excited, in fact, he tagged along with dad during pre-production costume fittings. “The costume department, run by a dear friend, made him a set of chain mail,” Russell recalled. “Needless to say, he was very happy about that.” If he’s allowed to watch the film, it will be just the second time Charlie has seen Russell on the silver screen; the only other was Silver Brumby, a children’s film Russell says he made “way back.”
“He’s very confused by it because in the movie I’m running and galloping around on horseback, chasing a horse, but when he’s with me on the farm, I just call and the horse comes.”
Russell, 45, can currently be seen in State of Play. Robin Hood is slated for release in March 2010.
With both family and career, Crowe abides by his own code of ethics. “I have had lots of different jobs before I turned to acting and I tried to make the most of them all. You have to, otherwise you give up. The worst thing you can do is go to work resenting your job.
“This might sound trite but it’s part of my personality: when I was a bartender I tried to be the best bartender and when I was a horse-wrangler, I tried to be the best horse-wrangler. Similarly, if I’m doing a film about Robin Hood, or a film about journalism and politics, I will make it the best piece I possibly can.”
