Photo of Russell Crowe as Javert- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 8:01am

His casting should actually bring people to see this movie who otherwise wouldn't go.

Fans of L.A. Confidential, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind, just to name a few. I'm looking forward to seeing him in this role.

I think he's an excellent screen actor ... I just hope he can sing well enough.

EDIT: One thing, though ... I do question the mustache and goatee. Would that have been "regulation" back then?

Updated On: 3/25/12 at 08:01 AM

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 8:17am

Sideburns aren't big enough!

[sueb1863]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 11:07am

He probably won't have the BIG sideburns until the Paris scenes.

[Jon]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 12:15pm

Are the "big sideburns" an essential part of the character? Must the movie look exactly like the play?

Remember, Valjean onlyu had a beard int he play because Colm Wilkinson didn'tr want to shave his off. He found an old illustrated edition of the novel (NOT the original with the Cosette/broom picture)and found a pic of Valjean with a beard. he showed it to the director and convinced him to let him keep hios beard. Since then, every Valjean has had the same stupid beard.

[NewYorkYankee2006]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 12:32pm

i am not a huge fan of russell crowe myself, but apparently he pulled off a fantastic audition for this movie and won the role. i think he will be quite good in the part of javert. he can play very serious parts as well as heartwarming/touching parts (e.g. 'a beautiful mind'). i wasn't very sure about the casting at all for this movie. for example, when it came to eddie redmayne being picked for marius. the more i see him on tv and film now, the more i'm getting used to the idea as he looks very handsome and dashing when dressed in period clothing (e.g. 'birdsong') as well as hearing him sing on youtube. its inspired casting.

[sueb1863]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 12:32pm

Yeah, strictly speaking Valjean shouldn't have a beard, either, once he breaks his parole. Respectable men didn't start wearing beards widely until the 1850s, they were only for convicts and menial laborers. Javert definitely shouldn't have one.

The only thing I can think of is that this was just a dress rehearsal and he'll shave off the beard once they go to film. Otherwise, it's just wrong, which is surprising given the care they're taking with everything else.

[Fan2]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 3:16pm

There's an interesting link posted at IMDB, quoting wikipedia, does any of this apply to Javert to those that read the novel?

>Since the Napoleonic era and throughout the nineteenth century, sappers (combat engineers) of the French Army had to wear full beards. Élite troops, such as Grenadiers, had to wear large moustaches. Infantry Chasseurs were asked to wear moustaches and goatees; and Hussars, in addition to their moustache, usually wore two braids in front of each ear, to protect their neck from sword slashes.[5] These traditions were gradually abandoned since the beginning of the 20th century, except for the French Foreign Legion sappers (see below). <<

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_hair_in_the_military

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 3:45pm

If he really had to audition, I'm surprised.

[Fan2]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 4:04pm

Not once but twice apparently - lots more info in this article but here's the part about the audition:

>>Crooner Crowe proves he's the biz for Les Mis... Russell gives an incredible singing audition for musical adaptation
By BAZ BAMIGBOYE

Russell Crowe is said to have given an incredible singing audition that has more than likely clinched him the role of the policeman who pursues Hugh Jackman in the film version of musical Les Miserables.

However, it’s a complex situation because it pits Crowe against his friend Paul Bettany, who has also sung for Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper, who will begin shooting Les Mis in the spring.

‘It’s a high-class problem,’ an executive connected to the movie told me last night.

‘You have two brilliant actors who both have qualities the film requires, but unless we do it in 3D there will only be one actor playing Inspector Javert — Russell or Paul.'

However, another executive informed me that Bettany wouldn’t be getting it and the part will go to Crowe.

Crowe’s representatives arranged for him to do two performance sessions for Hooper.

At the first one, Crowe admitted to not being word-perfect; but at the second — held in New York this week in front of, among others, Hooper and the show’s composer, Claude-Michel Schonberg — he was.

‘It was quite a brave thing that Russell did: he worked for the role,’ someone in New York close to the film’s production told me.

‘Movie stars are usually lazy and expect everything to come to them.

Russell can drive you nuts, but he went out and fought for this. He really wanted it. The sad thing is, Paul really wanted it, too.’<<
Crowe's Audition

[sueb1863]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 4:05pm

I think everyone had to audition, even Hugh. Paul Bettany also really wanted the part of Javert and from what I've heard he and Crowe both fought tooth and nail for it.

[Fan2]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 4:08pm

Hugh's audition was reported to be about three hours, and he went after the role himself because he really wanted it. It was also reported that all the actors had to sing the whole libretto and Anne Hathaway's audition "had them in tears."

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 4:33pm

wow, pretty thorough work by the producers. I'm impressed. I hope the film reflects the care going into making it. Thanks for posting the info, fan2!

[jo]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 8:04pm

Re the Jackman audition - he was quoted in an early interview, thus:

>>>Directed by The King's Speech's Tom Hooper, Jackman will star as the conflicted Jean Valjean and says he insisted that he audition for the role.

"I said to my agent I need to know in my heart that I can do it so I had a three-hour audition with Tom, which was fantastic, I loved it," says Jackman. <<<


And more details, on another interview --

>>>Is it intimidating to take on something like Les Miserables, or is that the fun of it?

JACKMAN: Yeah, but that is the fun of it, exactly. It’s intimidating, and that’s the fun of it. I feel, you have to be a little bit intimidated or a little bit nervous. The percentage is probably 80/20. If 80% of you is really, really confident you’re going to nail it, and 20% of you is genuinely, really not so sure, that’s the kind of percentage you need to push yourself on, to do better than you’ve ever before. If it’s 100%, then I feel the audience can feel it. I feel like Jean Valjean is one the great literary figures in musical theatre. It’s one of the most famous characters of all time. Whoever is playing it, it should be them at their best, you know? That’s why I’m singing everyday and have been for awhile. And, that’s why I auditioned for the part. I rang Tom Hooper and I said, “Tom, I’m coming in and I’m auditioning for you.” He said, “Well, I actually haven’t made my deal yet.” I said, “I don’t care. I’m coming in now.” That audition was three hours. This was not one where I was going to sit back and wait to see if it came to me or not. I chased it.<<<
Updated On: 3/25/12 at 08:04 PM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 3/25/12 at 10:54pm

And who ever asked, Russell Crowe being in this movie might just stop me from watching it.. I will need to see a full trailer to make up my mind on weather I can stand watching that man on screen for 2.5 hours!

[Rydia]

Posted: 3/26/12 at 3:21am

That hat looks like an elementary school arts and crafts project or is it just me? It looks so...cheap.

[sueb1863]

Posted: 3/26/12 at 6:34am

Crowe won't be on screen for 2.5 hours. His role isn't actually all that large, he might have about half an hour to 45 minutes of screen time.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/31/12 at 1:21pm

Hey, look, Russell Crowe's wearing a costume.