Russell Crowe, Prince of Providence?
Filed under: Drama, Casting, RumorMonger, Newsstand
Director Michael Corrente, a native of Providence, Rhode Island whose hometown played a major role in his early career (two of his first three films, Outside Providence and Federal Hill -- in which he also starred -- were set there), is set to go home again at the helm of The Prince of Providence, a biopic of the city's notorious (and much-loved) former mayor, Buddy Cianci. Based on a book by Mike Stanton, the movie will detail Cianci's career, from his election in 1974 to his resignation a decade later after pleading no contest to assault, to his reelection in 1991 and his 2001 indictment on racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering and mail fraud charges (he's currently in prison in Needless to say, Cianci is a dream role: A chance to be gregarious, flex acting muscles and, hopefully, get some love at awards time. And at least one major star isn't sitting around waiting for Corrente to call him. According to a report in a Syndey newspaper, Russell Crowe has been in "constant contact" -- Corrente's words -- with the director, and recently invited him to his home, all in an effort to persuade Corrente to give the him the gig. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sort of afraid for Corrente. Not only is Crowe desperate to play Cianci, but he apparently wants to do a lot more than act in the movie. As the careful Corrente told a reporter, "When you're dealing with a star of this magnitude, he brings in a lot of his own ideas." Uh huh. In other words, Crowe is already trying to take over, before he even gets the job. It's gonna be a long, long shoot.
[via Hollywood Wiretap]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-18-2006 @ 2:36PM
Mimi said...
Aw, come on. Crowe's not that bad. He wants some input, has some ideas, because he sees himself as a participant in the film process. Ask Howard, Mann or Scott about it... they've both said in interviews that Crowe does meticulous preparation and research, and just wants is a chance to be heard and that he brings some good ideas in, but isn't insistent on changes. If a director doesn't want a terrific Oscar caliber actor collaborating, maybe one should ask what they're afraid of....
Just take a look at how Crowe crafts his characters. Each is different, each is absolutely true to the story and the script. He's amazing.
On set, Crowe is notorious for only one thing... being a total professional.
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7-18-2006 @ 3:31PM
B. Louis said...
This quote in the story is wrong: "he's currently in prison in RI..." Actually he's in Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey.
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7-18-2006 @ 3:45PM
Martha Fischer said...
Crap, B. -- you're totally right. I misread the source; post is corrected, thanks.
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7-18-2006 @ 4:37PM
bcc123 said...
This made me laugh hilariously. Buddy Cianci is a gnomish man famous for his horribly bad toupee. A bit of a change from Gladiator, the look is more like The Insider but much, much worse. Really much more of a Giamatti role.
If he can give a performance like The Insider though, I'll take it. He'll get to throw some chairs around too. Cianci supposed had his ex-wife's boyfriend beaten to a pulp. It might be nice to Giamatti in an aggressive role, though.
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7-20-2006 @ 12:37PM
Jason William said...
In my opinion Crowe could pull it off but there are definitly other actors who could fit the roll. It shouldn't be based on Physical characteristics only. Obviosly actors like Hoffman, Deniro, and Giamatti can pull off the transformation. Crowe did the same in The Insider, which in my opinion is his best role to date. I feel the magnitude of his statue and his overall persona would hurt the making of the film. He may see it as a way to get an Oscar nod and thats it. If the Rhode Island native director keeps the overall feel of what is was like to live under Cianci's rule in Providence then I believe no matter who is cast in the long run it'll work.
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