Russell Crowe believes directing is far more “intimate” than acting.
The 51-year-old Academy Award-winning actor sat in the director’s chair for new war drama The Water Diviner.
And his experience helming the picture was enlightening for Russell.
“[Directing was] a much more intimate thing for me than being an actor in somebody else’s production,” he told Variety. “You realise the full extent of a director’s responsibility – whether the colours, whether the textures, whether there is music or silence, every single thing about the film.”
The Water Diviner earned $12.2 million at the Australian box office when it was released in the country last year. This is a solid showing for the picture, which was produced by Fear of God Films, Hopscotch Features, Seven Network and RatPac Entertainment with a budget of $11.3 million.
And Russell is hoping The Water Diviner will be a hit with American audiences as well when it opens in the US on April 24 because if the picture does sell tickets at theatres, he’ll be able to direct another movie in the future.
“That’s the gamble, man. It’s three years of my life. And that’s what’s on the line,” he noted. “The two things that come out of this, if it gets a [good] commercial result, is simply the investors I have will roll over their original investment. And I’ll get to do it again.”
Russell is father to two children and he believes being a director for a living will improve his family life.
In fact, the star is convinced a directing career could quite possibly benefit all areas of his existence.
“It means that I have kind of won back control of my life, having been a gun-for-hire actor for 25 years,” Russell explained. “If I am directing, I’m in control of what I’m doing. That means my pre-production is in Australia. My post-production is in Australia. And I’ve got two young sons, so I need to be spending as much of my year as possible with them.”
