Maximum Russell Crowe
Scrapbook: 2002

And the nominees for Best Actor are: Russell Crowe, for A Beautiful Mind. Sean Penn, for I am Sam. And Will Smith for Ali

And the critic’s choice for best actor is . . . Russell Crowe

(Russell walks up to the podium holding up three fingers on each hand.)

Russell: (To Marissa) Thank you very much.

Hold on, I'm just going to do that again . . . (holds up three fingers on each hand again.) Thank you! (laughter) What do you call that, a three-peat here, right? In North America that's a three–peat right? Okay. Okay. Thank you very much. I feel like Michael Jordan.

Yeah and Will Smith is sitting down there going "Yeah, you act like him too man."(Will Smith laughs)

(Laughing) Actually. You know what . . . was I the only one to saw the pathos in "Space Jam? (Laughter.)

I want to take this moment, this moment to publicly congratulate Will Smith for his work in Ali (looking at Will, who acknowledges mention.) That was a very fine work brother. (Applause)

And also to the elusive Mr. Penn, who I am sure is not here tonight.

(Audience laughs)

(Russell giggles) You know he continues to inspire. He’s a fantastic actor.

I was very lucky to work with not one great company on this movie, but three. To Brian Grazer from Imagine, to Stacy Schneider and Ron Meyer from Universal. And to Terry Press and my man J.K. from DreamWorks. All I can say is thank you very much.

It is only a superb writer like Akiva Goldsman who can take such an unwieldy and uh, unwieldy and unlikely subject matter and condense it to such a gorgeous and compelling screenplay. So that’s were it begins to be easy where you got a great script made.

(Applause)

I want to thank a great cast, Mr. Harris, Mr. Plummer, Mr. Bettany, Mr. Goldberg, Mr. Gray-Stanford, Mr. Lucas, and Mr. Rapp. And to the sublime Miss Connelly.

(Applause)

And to Ron Howard, whose command of the medium is beyond question. Whose attention to detail and willingness to collaborate and whose intellect are all pristine examples of a director in his prime. So suffice to say -- Opie done good!

(Applause, laughter)

Russell (giggling): I’m sorry mate. I’m sorry. (Laughing to Ron Howard who nods "okay.")

(Laughter)

(Giggling) It was cheap and the opportunity was too good! Sorry! (giggles -- then slaps his own hand.)

Anyway so . . . Thanks very much to the Broadcast Film Critics Association --such an eclectic bunch, and of course eclectic is a polite way for saying"strange."

(Laughter)

I thank you for taking my work seriously and as long as God gives me the . . . uh (pauses), as long as God lets me intimidate publicists, I will continue to give you my time and my heart. Cheers folks, have a good evening. Thanks very much.