Russell Crowe calls Gladiator sequel 'unfortunate'

Russell Crowe believes the moviemakers behind Gladiator III failed to understand "what made the first one special".

The 61-year-old actor starred in Sir Ridley Scott's 2000 historical epic and won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed by the Emperor's son Commodus - played by Joaquin Phoenix - and thrown into slavery. The story was revived for a sequel - Gladiator II - which was released last year but Crowe is adamant the second movie betrayed the original by losing its "moral core"

During an appearance on Australian radio showTriple J, the actor explained: "The recent sequel that we don’t have to name out loud is a really good example of, even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made that first one special.

"It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core."

In the first film, Crowe's character is driven to exact revenge on the new Emporor Commodus after he has Maximus' wife and son killed, but the second movie reveals Maximus was unfaithful to his wife by fathering a son named Lucius (Paul Mescal) with Commodus' sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).

However, Crowe believes the plot twist didn't sit right with him as he previously fought for the character's integrity and refused to have any sex scenes included because he didn't want Maximus to be seen cheating on his beloved wife.

He said: "The thing is, there was a daily fight on that set. It was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character ...

"The amount of times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus, it’s like you’re taking away his power. So you’re saying at the same time he had this relationship with his wife, he was f****** this other girl? What are you talking about? It’s crazy."

He went on to insist fans of the original film have been giving him a tough time about the plot of the second film since its release.

Crowe added: "The women in Europe, when that movie started coming out, I would be at a restaurant, and they’d come talk to me [and complain]. It’s like: Hey, it wasn’t me! I didn’t do it'."