Anthony Hopkins describes working with Russell Crowe before he was famous

Sir Anthony Hopkins has recounted what it was like working with a young Russell Crowe before he was famous – revealing that he knew he was in the presence of a star the moment the Australian actor walked on set. 

The actors co-starred in the Australia drama, Spotswood, which was filmed between 1990 and 1991 and released in 1993. 

The film, known as The Efficiency Expert in the USA, was one of Russell’s first, and he was by no means a household name. 

But Anthony, 83, saw a spark in the now 56-year-old actor, who he pegged as a future superstar at first sight. 

Speaking to Stellar Magazine this week, the Silence of the Lambs actor said:  ‘I could [it] see as soon as he walked on set. 

‘I thought, “There’s a winner. I’m sure I’ll see you in Hollywood one day.” He had ‘it’ – and Russell knew it.’ 

He added: ‘You could tell that he knew it; he could smell it. You knew what he was going to be.’ 

Although Russell has over the years developed a reputation of being difficult to work with, Anthony didn’t find him to be so at the time. 

The Hannibal actor told the magazine: ‘He wasn’t difficult, but he just had a quiet aggression. You didn’t mess with Russell. He had his eye on the target.’ 

Anthony’s instincts proved correct, as by the end of the decade Russell had left Australia and cemented himself in Hollywood’s A-list. 

Russell’s breakout role would come six years later in the 1996 American noir drama L.A. Confidential, with the Australian star attracting the attention of tinseltown for his role as police officer Bud White. 

In 2000 he shot to global super-stardom for his role of Maximus in Gladiator, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.