MovieChat Forums > Ben Mendelsohn Discussion > Interesting imdb tidbit about Ben and Ru...

Interesting imdb tidbit about Ben and Russell Crowe

posted 10 years ago by Margie24
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Just read in his bio that he was originally cast as Hando in Romper Stomper but Crowe campaigned against him,,
saying he wasn't scary enough. He was replaced by Crowe, and Crowe won the Aussie best actor award that year.

It was that performance that got him cast in both the Quick and the Dead (which was a flop) and L.A. Confidential (which was a critically acclaimed film).

Reminds me of the story about Gwynneth Paltrow seeing the script for Shakespeare in Love in Wynonna Rider's apartment, and the rest is history.

That's show business!

[–] eloiseshf 10 years ago

That's one story I read too, but another says that Mendelsohn, being Jewish, wasn't comfortable with having to wear Nazi tattoos. I may be wrong, but the notes for a Romper Stomper DVD edition (UK?) had Ben turning down the role Geoffrey Wright had writted for him (no reasons given, though). Ben was the lead in Wright's follow up to Romper Stomper, Metal Skin, which makes me think it was him turning down the role, rather than Wright rejecting him. Wright's commentary on the Metal Skin DVD made no mention of him being turned down either.

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