Russell Crowe Throws Hollywood a Heavyweight Hook

June 3, 2005 — -- A fight with a British producer may have cost Russell Crowe a second Oscar, but now the irascible actor might just punch his way to another Academy Award, despite his Hollywood-hating reputation.

A slimmed down, 41-year-old Crowe hits theaters today in "Cinderella Man," the story of Depression-era boxing hero Jim Braddock. Braddock is an undersized, lion-hearted fighter who came out of retirement and shocked the sports world by taking on heavyweight champ Max Baer in a 15-round bloodbath.

"For me, 'Cinderella Man' is the story of how one family survived the Depression," says Crowe, who brought the script to Ron Howard while they were working on "A Beautiful Mind."

"Braddock went on with his life after boxing, bringing up his family, working for a living, loving his wife and watching his children grow and his grandchildren born in the house he bought with the winnings from that fight way back in 1935. I took his legacy to heart. I wanted people to hear this true American story."

Suddenly, this notorious bad boy celebrity is talking like a contender for Hollywood's ultimate heavyweight prize, the Oscar. Perhaps "Cinderella Man's" greatest challenge is that it hits theaters just a year after "Million Dollar Baby" won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

With the film generating strong buzz, movie fans are now wondering, can boxing movies win two years in a row? But perhaps the bigger question is this: Can Crowe ever get back in the good graces of Academy Award voters?

Crowe won Best Actor honors in 2001 in "Gladiator." But since then, he hasn't always put his fighting tendencies to good use. A year later, he was nominated again for "A Beautiful Mind." It was his third consecutive Oscar nomination, and he stood to join Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, in Hollywood's elite group of multiple Academy Award winners.

Howard and Crowe entered the Oscar race as heavy favorites. However, several weeks before the ceremony, at Britain's BAFTA Awards, Crowe reportedly became verbally abusive backstage, and pinned Malcolm Gerrie against a wall after the producer cut short his acceptance speech from the telecast.