USA: Russell Crowe says he was prepared for the criticism surrounding his new film "Noah"

Record ID: 221269

  • Title: USA: Russell Crowe says he was prepared for the criticism surrounding his new film "Noah"
  • Date: 27th March 2014
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 26, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THEATER
  • Embargoed: 11th April 2014 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVACDLWI1JPKOZZBV9RUM28YTSKC
  • Story Text: Rain lashes down from the heavens while hungry followers of Cain trample over each other for a spot on Noah's massive wooden ark. The end is inevitable and, of course, not pretty.
    Director Darren Aronofsky, best known for dark and unrelenting dramas such as the Oscar-nominated "Black Swan," would have it no other way in the biblical epic "Noah," which stars Russell Crowe.
    The star-studded cast of the film hit the red carpet in New York on Wednesday (March 26) to celebrate the film's opening.
    The movie distributed by Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures is the auteur director's first big test of whether he can guide a big-budget spectacle to box office success.
    And the risk-taking Aronofsky, 45, is sure to unsettle some along the way as the film blends one of the best-known Old Testament tales with the trademark psychological torment to which he routinely submits protagonists.
    On the red carpet Crowe and Emma Watson who plays Ila, the wife of Noah's eldest son, said they expected the backlash.
    "We knew going in that there was going to be some criticism. But I didn't realize it was going to be so strident, you know. And it's kind of funny because there is a whole bunch of people that have gone on record now, you know, accusing the movie of things that are just not real. And now people are actually starting to see the film then those people don't have these, you know, strident opinions based on nothing but their own assumptions started to look a little foolish," said Crowe.
    "I mean I expected a lot of it honestly. I think all adaptations, biblical adaptations kind of receive that kind of attention. But I don't know, I just felt confident that once people saw the film for themselves that they would feel - that the film was actually sensitive and inclusive and exciting and that it should be on the screen," Watson told Reuters.
    Watson, best known from the Harry Potter franchise said she fought hard for the role.
    "Darren did put me through my paces, he gave me some scenes that I hadn't ever seen before and gave me five minutes to look at them and I had to go through the scene, I actually had to cry in my audition as well, which is reasonably hard. But, I just really wanted the role, I loved the project so much right from the beginning and I'm just so glad that it worked out, I guess," she explained.
    The film also stars Jennifer Connelly as Noah's wife, Naameh, Anthony Hopkins as Noah's grandfather, Methuselah, and Douglas Booth as Noah's eldest son, Shem.
    While faithful to the slim four chapters in the Bible, "Noah" also takes a detour into fantasy with the biblical Nephilim. Aronofsky explains the giant fallen angels made of rocks as a representation of a pre-flood Earth that was home to alternate possibilities of life.
    Paramount said "Noah" had a $125 million (USD) budget. The film is tracking to gross a respectable $41 million in its opening weekend domestically, according to Boxoffice.com. The film also represents a string of bets Hollywood has made on Bible stories.
    Connelly thinks the film, which is being promoted as having a strong family story, will touch viewers in diverse ways.
    "I think different people - different parts of the movie will resonate with different audiences depending on their backgrounds. I think it's really a movie for everyone," said Connelly.
    "Noah" is set to be released in U.S. and Canadian theaters, as well as several other countries, on Friday (March 28).
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