Russell Crowe isn’t known for playing nice.
So it shouldn’t surprise many that in his new film, “3:10 to Yuma,” Crowe plays bandit and homicidal maniac Ben Wade. Director James Mangold’s remake of the 1957 Western opens Friday.
Crowe, 43, has built a reputation as a gruff, charismatic, passionate actor since his breakout role in 1997’s “L.A. Confidential” and the Oscar-winning performance for “Gladiator” in 2000. A high-profile 2005 incident in which he was arrested after throwing a phone at the face of clerk at a Manhattan hotel didn’t mellow that reputation.
Even co-star Christian Bale was prepared for the worst when he heard Crowe signed on to “Yuma.” Crowe had, Bale said, “a certain reputation that preceded him.”
“I thought, ‘Well that’s great. I love working with somebody that’s honest,’ ” Bale said. “I’ve had a number of people say to me before we started working, ‘Man, you’re gonna have a tough time.’ But Russell’s the easiest actor you could ever work with.”
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This, Bale said, is because Crowe turns up prepared. “It was bloody smooth.”
Crowe voiced similar respect for his co-star.
“I don’t think either of us finds the due diligence required for the job to be unusual or strange,” he said. “It’s just a natural inquisitiveness. We both come to the party having already thought through the options and made certain decisions, and until you make certain decisions, you can’t get anywhere …”
“I’m a working-class boy, mate, and I look at the clock ticking and think about how much it’s costing,” he said. “I don’t like to be in a position where I feel someone’s taking advantage of the medium. I think the medium comes first. It’s the most expensive artistic medium that exists, and you’ve got to respect that.”
What if someone comes to the set having made decisions about the movie that differ from yours?
“Who cares?” Crowe said. “Whatever happens you have to be able to react to it.”
On “3:10 to Yuma,” this included racing horses on too-narrow roads, withstanding months of snow on location in Santa Fe, N.M., and shooting through weather that a larger budget might have allowed them to wait out.
“I think there are things you can benefit from with a lack of money,” Bale said.
“And besides,” Crowe added, “a movie’s like a train. Once you’re on it, you’ve got to go with it. You’re not going to get off ’til you’re back in the station.”