The Aussie actor has revealed which Australian PM he’d like to bring to the big screen. Photo / Getty Images
The Aussie actor has revealed which Australian PM he’d like to bring to the big screen. Photo / Getty Images
Actor Russell Crowe, known for his roles in Oscar-nominated films such as Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and The Insider, has revealed which PM he’d like to bring to the big screen.
The star was briefly quizzed on Australian politics during an interview with Sky News Australia’s Erin Molan to promote his new movie – The Pope’s Exorcist.
When asked which Australian Prime Minister he would like to play in a movie, Crowe joked that he initially wanted to say “none of the bastards”, but then mentioned his interest in the story of Harold Holt’s disappearance and the period of Federation in Australia’s history.
However, he seemingly settled on Gough Whitlam, sharing admiration for his decisions as PM.
“I think he was one of Australia’s great statesmen. I think he set things in place that give us the confidence that we have as a nation today,” he said.
“You know, little decisions that he made, like buying blue poles, the painting. And everybody just castigated him at the time and called him irresponsible.
The iconic Aussie actor behind Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and The Insider has revealed which Australian PM he’d like to bring to the big screen. Photos / Getty Images
“That painting is worth $500 million now or something … every government decision should have that result. You know, you get a 500 multiple out of every single dollar you spend and we’d be in a great place.”
As for today’s political landscape, Crowe believes Australia is “really lucky” to have Anthony Albanese as its Prime Minister, praising his commitment to his community and his honesty in politics.
“If you think about it – and it’s funny because we didn’t know it at the time – but through my lifetime with political people like Gough [Whitlam], like Malcolm Fraser, like Bob Hawke, like Paul Keating … we had some extremely intelligent men looking after the interests of our country, and we were very lucky,” Crowe said.
He added he felt the same quality of political leadership had not been present in recent years, but Albanese was an exception.
Crowe has known the current Prime Minister for over two decades, primarily in the context of his membership in the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league club, which Crowe part-owns.
Crowe explained that when he took over the club, “every man and his dog” asked him for favours, but Albanese never did.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese enjoys the atmosphere during the round six NRL match between Canterbury Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium on April 7 in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images
“He always turned up. If there was something big going on for the club and we wanted his presence, he always turned up. And he kept up his own membership, and he buys his own tickets,” Crowe said.
“You know that, to me, shows the quality of the guy.”
He added that Albanese’s commitment to his community and political honesty make him a valuable Prime Minister for Australia.
“With all the opaque bulls**t we’ve had to deal with for the last 10 or 15 years, we’ve got a guy who is at least going to tell us the truth,” Crowe said.
“Now, he might not make the decisions that you want individually every time, but over time what Anthony will do is improve the lives of the people in this country.
“And that is a politician’s job, not the other bulls**t we have seen from people who have pretended to be in that position in the last decade or so, the actual job of improving people’s lives and that’s what I believe he is going to do for us.”
