One Performance That Almost Ruined Les Misérables, According to Fans
The musical Les Misérables is an undeniable gem of its genre, having won several Academy Awards. However, fans almost unanimously consider one actor's performance to be underwhelming.
In the movie adaptation of the classic novel by Victor Hugo, Russell Crowe played the role of Inspector Javert.
Many viewers enjoyed his performance as an anti-hero in love with the law, but Crowe's singing has been cited as one of the movie's worst moments.
The actor seemed to be aware of the inadequacy of his vocal skills and rushed resignedly through the musical scenes.
Few people know that the actor began his professional career in the music scene: in the late 80s, he was a member of several groups and even planned a solo career.
At the age of 17, Russell Crowe released several singles in his native New Zealand, including the significant title I Just Wanna Be Like Marlon Brando.
Neither song became a hit, but Russell began performing regularly in clubs under the name Russ Le Roq.
After that, there were several more successful and not-so-successful projects, but in the end, Crowe created a group The Ordinary Fear of God.
They have already released two albums and toured the US twice.
With such a musical background, the audience's dissatisfaction with his performance of the musical parts in Les Misérables is all the more surprising.
Some believe that Hugh Jackman, who proved his singing skills more than once and co-starred with him in Les Misérables, made Crowe's singing simply look weaker.
"My chief complaint about Crowe's performance was simply that his style of singing did not fit the very dynamic style of the rest of the actors. […] Javert is a very stoic, monochromatic character, but I don't feel it meshed well with the others' – in particular, Jackman's, as they shared the most numbers," Reddit user mudclub commented.
And although many viewers find Crowe's performance to be the weakest compared to other actors, some fans believe that what are perceived as flaws are actually part of the character's image.
"Personally, I didn't have a problem with him. Sure, maybe he wasn't amazing when it comes to his singing and it took a while to get used to him but I thought his singing voice fit the character," Reddit user proxy37 said.
Anyway, Russell Crowe's singing did not prevent the movie from receiving a large number of awards and becoming a favorite musical for many.