Russell Crowe's Thor: Love & Thunder Role Is Like Gladiator But Sillier

screenrant.com:

Russell Crowe’s Zeus role in Thor: Love & Thunder is like Gladiator but sillier according to his co-stars. Crowe became a movie superstar thanks to his performance as Roman general-turned-gladiator Maximus in Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning 2000 epic. Now an older Crowe is finally joining the MCU, playing Zeus in Taika Waititi’s newest Thor sequel.

While Zeus may be Crowe’s first MCU role, the actor is of course no stranger to comic book movies, having played Jor-El in the DC films Man of Steel and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Crowe was also supposed to become part of another movie universe after his appearance as Dr. Jekyll in The Mummy, but alas the Dark Universe famously fell apart. But even with his participation in such modern-day blockbusters as these, Crowe is still best-known for strapping on Roman armor and taking down Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus in the massive hit Gladiator.

Related: Thor: Love And Thunder Will Feature The MCU’s Third LGBTQ+ Romance

Crowe’s Oscar-certified acting prowess is of course not in doubt. But while the Gladiator star may be known for being incredibly serious on-screen, he apparently has no problem cutting loose when the occasion calls for it. Indeed, both Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth made note of Crowe’s willingness to be silly for the cameras on Thor: Love & Thunder. "It was so much fun to see Russell Crowe play Zeus and have such a great sense of humor with the character,” Portman said in an interview with Disney (via The Direct). She added, “It was fun to see him be silly. I think we’re so used to him in these very strong, heroic roles, so it was fun to see him be able to let loose." Hemsworth concurred, telling Disney:

«I never thought I’d see the day where Russell