- Title: USA: Russell Crowe's big risk in the The Next Three Days
- Date: 11th November 2010
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 9, 2010) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) RUSSELL CROWE POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS ELIZABETH BANKS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS DIRECTOR PAUL HAGGIS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR, SAYING: "I may have been like 10 or 15 pages into it and I already knew I wanted to do it. So that created its own sort of problem. It meant I was away from my kids for 87 days because my wife didn't want to travel any more that year, which I will never do again because that was too much, but yeah, but it's always for me the script." PHOTOGRAPHER CROWE AND BANKS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH TY SIMPKINS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAUL HAGGIS, DIRECTOR, SAYING: "Would you do this for the woman you loved? And, or, the person you loved? And also, would you change yourself into someone who that person who could maybe not love any more in order to save them? So that level of sacrifice." CROWE BEING INTERVIEWED ON THE RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR, SAYING: "You know, I have asked myself that question a lot of times during the course of the production and stuff and you know I don't. I think the list of the things I wouldn't do for my wife is a blank piece of paper, which is probably why she married me in the first place." BANKS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELIZABETH BANKS, ACTRESS, SAYING: "It's very easy to get into character when you're given prison-issue clothes to wear and you're sitting in a cell and you're talking with actual inmates and just sort of discuss what their daily life is like. We did everything totally by the book in terms of how they would have a visit, or with their child or with their husband and all of that. We had the actual warden even play one of the wardens in the movie." CROWE BEING INTERVIEWED ON THE RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR, SAYING: "We were just sitting there on the street at what we call number one, at the beginning of a shot, you know? So you're sitting there, waiting for the police to tell us that the streets were locked down and this fire truck came past and this guy just swung a big turn, the fire department, and took out the front of our SUV. And all the other firemen came out and went, 'oh well, that's problematic, who was driving' and a guy says 'Dooley' and the other guys go, 'oh, Dooley!' It's like, if he's not good enough to drive the truck, don't give him the keys!" HAGGIS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH HIS WIFE DEBORAH RENNARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAUL HAGGIS, DIRECTOR, SAYING: "I think it's going to be a date movie in which afterwards couples are going to go, 'would you do that?,' 'you wouldn't do that, would you?', 'you wouldn't!' (laughs)" LIAM NEESON ON RED CARPET BRIAN DENNEHY ON RED CARPET GERARD BUTLER POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS 'THE NEXT THREE DAYS' MOVIE POSTER
- Embargoed: 26th November 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAEVOX91HBAERMUKDEX743I699N
- Story Text: Hollywood megastar Russell Crowe is a man prepared to risk everything for love - both on, and off screen. The actor spoke of taking risks - and suffering a near miss - while shooting his new film, 'The Next Three Days'.
In the film, Crowe plays the role of John Brennan, a man with a seemingly perfect life until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a gruesome murder she says she didn't commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college, while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one, possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison.
Speaking at the film's New York Premiere on Tuesday (November 9), Crowe said although he was immediately drawn to the script, the shooting schedule meant a long time apart from his wife and two young sons.
"I may have been like 10 or 15 pages into it and I already knew I wanted to do it. So that created its own sort of problem. It meant I was away from my kids for 87 days because my wife didn't want to travel any more that year, which I will never do again because that was too much, but yeah, but it's always for me the script," Crowe explained.
The Next Three Days' is directed by Paul Haggis, whose earlier film credits include 'Crash' and 'Million Dollar Baby'. Haggis said the film poses the ultimate question about the lengths a person will go, for love.
"Would you do this for the woman you loved? And, or, the person you loved? And also, would you change yourself into someone who that person who could maybe not love any more in order to save them? So that level of sacrifice," Haggis said.
Crowe said he often reflected on what risks he'd be prepared to take, for his own family.
"You know, I have asked myself that question a lot of times during the course of the production and stuff and you know I don't. I think the list of the things I wouldn't do for my wife is a blank piece of paper, which is probably why she married me in the first place," Crowe said.
Crowe's on-screen wife, Lara, is played by Elizabeth Banks. To prepare for her role, the actress said she spent a lot of time speaking with prisoners at the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh, where many of the scenes were filmed.
"It's very easy to get into character when you're given prison-issue clothes to wear and you're sitting in a cell and you're talking with actual inmates and just sort of discuss what their daily life is like. We did everything totally by the book in terms of how they would have a visit, or with their child or with their husband and all of that. We had the actual warden even play one of the wardens in the movie," Banks said.
While Crowe is no stranger to action on-screen, the 'Gladiator' star said he and the crew had a close-call with a fire truck whilst shooting a particular scene.
"We were just sitting there on the street at what we call number one, at the beginning of a shot, you know? So you're sitting there, waiting for the police to tell us that the streets were locked down and this fire truck came past and this guy just swung a big turn, the fire department, and took out the front of our SUV. And all the other firemen came out and went, 'oh well, that's problematic, who was driving' and a guy says 'Dooley' and the other guys go, 'oh, Dooley!' It's like, if he's not good enough to drive the truck, don't give him the keys!," Crowe exclaimed.
Haggis said 'The Next Three Days' could lead to intense post-movie discussions among some couples.
"I think it's going to be a date movie in which afterwards couples are going to go, 'would you do that?,' 'you wouldn't do that, would you?', 'you wouldn't!'" Haggis laughed.
'The Next Three Days' opens across North America on November 19. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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