Off To The Ball

And here were we simply thinking he was just a bit of a thug. Russell Crowe's recent penchant for a bit of fisticuffs in public places has, we can now declare, only been a particularly dedicated piece of method acting in preparation for his new film Cinderella Man. Re-teaming with Oscar-winners and A Beautiful Mind cohorts Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, Crowe will get those fists into action again to play beefy boxer Jim Braddock, who rose through the ranks in Depression-era America to become a folk hero when he defeated heavyweight champ Max Baer in a 15-round slugfest in 1935. But Russell 'Unleash Hell' Crowe wasn't the first choice for the bruiser. Originally the flick was set up for pretty boy Ben Affleck to slug it out for director Billy Bob Thornton but was KO'd back into development hell before Lasse Hallstrom picked up the reins with Crowe attached for the lead role. After the whole project was delayed due to Crowe's commitments for Master and Commander, Hallstrom walked and the much-coveted project fell into Ron Howard's lap. Crowe a psyched up pugilist? We simply can't think of any better candidate for the role.