By Crispian Balmer
VENICE, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Acting and music are driven by the same creative instinct, Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe said on Friday as he unveiled a deeply personal documentary about his life as a musician at the Venice Film Festival on Friday.
“What Love Builds” traces Crowe’s long relationship with music through performances, archive footage and personal musings, seeking to answer a question he says he is repeatedly asked — whether he prefers music or acting.
“As I think the film attempts to explain, the two things are just completely intertwined for me. There is no difference. Everything comes from the same creative source,” Crowe told reporters.
MISMANAGING HOLLYWOOD
Crowe said he first conceived the project 15 years ago and initially thought it would take a year to complete. Instead, he continued filming as new musical projects emerged, eventually accumulating what he says was an “excessive” 18 million feet (5.5 million metres) of footage.
The New Zealand-born actor won an Academy Award for “Gladiator” in 2001 and became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars through films including “A Beautiful Mind”, “Master and Commander” and “Cinderella Man”.
He is also the lead singer with his band Indoor Garden Party, whose music blends rock, blues, country and gospel influences.
Crowe said there had never been any master plan.
“I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I’ve mismanaged my relationship with Hollywood. But always to my benefit,” he said.
“I didn’t have a plan and I still don’t have a plan. I just do what becomes apparent to me and pursue the things that I feel connected to.”
That approach still guided his choice of roles, he said.
“I can read 100 scripts, but I’m only going to do the one that, when I was reading it, I start to feel it on my skin,” he said. “If I get that feeling, I have to do it.”
Crowe, 62, said music had given him a particular understanding of audiences that he carried into his acting.
“Everything that I do as a film actor is informed because I know how to drive an audience live,” he said. “Even if they’re not in the room, I still carry an understanding of what the audience is.”
While the documentary looks back over decades of work, Crowe also struck a reflective note when discussing the future.
“I am starting to have those thoughts about how many summers I really may have,” he said.
Although he listed several upcoming projects, including new film and television roles, Crowe said he increasingly wanted to spend time in Europe with his sons.
“My sons and I call it the Euro Dad project,” he said, adding that he expected to choose family more often over additional work commitments.
Despite this, Crowe announced that Indoor Garden Party would embark on a major tour of eastern Europe in 2027.
“What Love Builds” is running out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, which ends on Saturday.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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