Russell Crowe provided a candid recollection of his initial hesitations about his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Winning a total of five Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Crowe’s performance as the Roman general turned gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius, Gladiator is widely considered one of Crowe’s best films and was instrumental in reigniting Hollywood’s interest in historical epics. Despite this success, the film’s original production was plagued with issues that arose from an unfinished script that required multiple rewrites even as filming was underway.
https://screenrant.com/gladiator-movie-script-problems-russell-crowe-response/