Gladiator (2000) star Russell Crowe is attempting to give back to support a fellow actor. After the immense success of Gladiator 2 at the box office, the dormant franchise has finally returned to the public eye. Crowe did not appear in the sequel. His character, Maximus, died in the original. His presence remains, though, as characters continually acknowledge his influence on the overall narrative. Crowe has instead worked on a variety of other projects since the 2000 hit, including 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Les Misérables (2012), Man of Steel (2013), and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter (2024).
Recently, however, Crowe has turned his attention to an important cause: supporting his fellow Gladiator cast members. Stuntman Chara Allan suffered a severe leg injury after attempting to renovate his garage door, leading to fears that his leg could be amputated. His coworker organized a GoFundMe campaign, which set a £25,000 goal to help Allan afford an expensive and less invasive treatment. While donating £5,000 ($6,336), Crowe took to Twitter to spread the word of the campaign:
Allan has since achieved his goal and is poised to receive his treatment, which will help to remove a blood clot in his leg. As the National Health Service is unable to provide him with support, it could very well save his mobility. He will now be able to leave the United Kingdom to receive an endovascular thrombectomy in another country. Fox News reports that, in an update on the GoFundMe page, Allan had nothing but praise for Crowe’s efforts:
It feels awesome and makes me feel very humble that Russell Crowe has donated. Me and Russell go back to ‘Gladiator’. In ‘Gladiator,’ I was a stuntman and actor. I’m the guy that shouts at Russell Crowe with a severed head in my hand at the beginning of the movie. It always raises a hair on the back after seeing this scene. There were 15,000 men on set that day, and it took three weeks to film the first 10 minutes of the film. This is how me and Russell became friends on ‘Gladiator.’
We have been friends for years.
What Crowe’s Donation Means For His Stuntman
Crowe’s Generosity Is Far More Than Just Financial
Crowe’s decision to offer such significant support to his stuntman was not expected, but it is a sign of his kindness. Had he not seen the fundraiser, it is unlikely that there would be much criticism, since their shared movie was released nearly 25 years ago. Yet, despite having only worked with him a quarter-century ago, Crowe decided to do more than just donate his money to his fellow actor. He is also raising awareness of the campaign, which is even more important.
Just retweeting the fundraiser gives all 2.8 million of Crowe’s followers access to the campaign.
As a world-renowned actor, Russell Crowe’s best movies have received immense traction, which gives him a wider reach than Allan could ever hope to achieve. Just retweeting the fundraiser gives all 2.8 million of Crowe’s followers access to the campaign. It raises awareness, promotes a wider pool of donations, and could very well help Allan save his leg. Crowe remains the top donor by a factor of five, but numerous other smaller donations have come in since his initial retweet. It is likely the reason that Allan was able to achieve his £25,000 goal.
Our Take On Crowe’s Donation
It Proves That Crowe Truly Cares For His Stuntmen
As a movie about a warrior, Gladiator (2000) was always going to have significant stuntwork. Without having stuntpeople available to participate in thrilling visual effects, the movie might never have earned such immense acclaim. Every main performance in Gladiator movies is predicated on the presence of stuntpeople to support the leading stars. By supporting Allan, Crowe proved that he was not interested in ignoring the contributions that they made to his career. Allan deserves support in his time of need, and Crowe was kind enough to offer it.
Source: Various (see above)
