One of the fascinating pieces of trivia below is true*, the other is false. Do YOU know which is which?
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
1) While this film is inspired by the life of John Nash, there were elements from his life that were deliberately omitted: 1) he was married twice, both to the same woman (Alicia Nash); 2) in the past, he had several affairs with both men and women; 3) he was arrested by the police by scandal; 4) He fathered a child out-of-wedlock in his twenties; 5) he believed that through his mental illness the extra-terrestrials spoke him, giving his advanced knowledge by means of cosmic connection with them; 6) he tried to renounce to his American nationality some times, in the belief that the USA government pursued him; and 7) he made numerous anti-Semitic comments during his period of extreme mental illness, most of which equated Jews with world Communism.
2) With his alcoholism out of control, Russell Crowe refused to read the script and took the title literally, undergoing a surgery to have the top half of his skull taken off and having one of the finest makeup artists in Hollywood apply lipstick, mascara, eyeliner and rouge to his brain. The procedure scrambled his mind to the point where he couldn’t recognize anyone’s face and he attacked director Ron Howard with a pickaxe handle every time he saw him and refused to film the movie. After several beatings, a bruised and bloody Howard desperately tried to get the crazed Crowe’s attention by dressing like Crowe’s estranged mother, and Crowe finally calmed down when Howard let him suckle on his teat for several hours. This continued throughout filming, with Howard never taking off the mother costume, even when he was home alone. After filming was completed, the two moved in together and have been living as mother and son ever since, although Crowe’s malnourishment is a constant concern because he just doesn’t get enough nutrients from Howard’s breast milk. Since the movie’s premiere, Princeton University has held an A Beautiful Mind contest every year, in which the prettiest brain wins an autographed piece of Russell Crowe’s brain, and all of the runners-up receive a severe beating with a pickaxe handle from John Nash himself.
I remember reading about that odd motherly relationship when the film was first released, right before it won its Oscar. 😉
That controversy is the one of the reasons I’ve never seem the film a second time and probably never will.
LikeLike
It’s a lot to wrap your mind around.
LikeLike
I watched the extra features on the DVD when it came out and those images of Crowe milking Howard were REALLY disturbing. Some things you just can’t unsee…
LikeLike
The 30-minute shot of Howard using a breast pump while staring unblinking into the camera just wasn’t necessary.
LikeLike
I think someone should make a buddy cop movie starring Russell Crowe and Gary Busey, with Wings Hauser as the main villain. Is there any director in Hollywood with the intestinal fortitude for such a film?
LikeLike
Can Shakma be Wings Hauser’s sidekick?
LikeLike
Absolutely!
LikeLike
I would watch this.
LikeLike
Universal Studios called me last night and optioned the story.
LikeLike
Too easy, number 2.
LikeLike
I had a lot of complaints that the last one was too hard, so I dialed back the difficult on this one, perhaps too much.
LikeLike
Haha
LikeLike
Pingback: Today’s Headlines presented by R.O.T.O.R.! 12-17-2013 | Hard Ticket to Home Video