The following production notes are from the Universal Pictures website. A full set of notes is available to download in pdf format.
Once they had their Valjean, the filmmakers were determined to find a performer powerful enough to act opposite Jackman in the role of Javert. Academy Award®-winning actor Russell Crowe immediately came to mind. He recalls: “I didn’t know Russell was such a commanding singer, or that he had started his career in musical theater. He had this burning passion to do a musical. We could not believe our luck that one of the biggest movie stars on the planet and one of the world’s great actors was a passionate musical man with a background in music.”
Unlike the majority of his co-stars, Crowe did not see the show until after the filmmakers had approached him, but he understood its longevity right away. “There were so many powerful songs and themes with universal appeal,” he says. Very quickly, Crowe became excited about the challenge. “It was something I wanted to do. I wanted to spend that time with music in my life, surrounded by it, which so much of my life has been.”
Crowe, like Jackman, had no problem auditioning for Hooper and the producers, and the call was set two months after his initial meeting with the director. Explains Fellner: “The actors understood auditioning was for their sake as much as ours. We wanted to make sure that they were comfortable singing and acting, and confident they could deliver over a 12-week shoot.”
The actor admits he took an unusual approach to the follow-up. Recalls Crowe: “I had this idea on the day of the audition that I should walk there, something I would have done when I was starting out, when the audition was basically the difference between eating and not eating or being able to pay the rent or not. It was 28 blocks from where I was staying and pouring rain. I had the opportunity to jump in a cab, but I knew “I had this idea on the day of the audition that I should walk there, something I would have done when I was starting out, when the audition was basically the difference between eating and not eating or being able to pay the rent or not. It was 28 blocks from where I was staying and pouring rain. I had the opportunity to jump in a cab, but I knew if I did the audition wouldn’t go right.” To the astonishment of the producers, Crowe arrived at the audition soaked to the skin. “I don’t think I’d been more excited about playing a character since John Nash in A Beautiful Mind.”
Key to Crowe’s portrayal of the legendary antagonist was fleshing out Javert’s motivation for why he doggedly tracks Valjean over the decades...and why he makes the ultimate sacrifice for law and order. Reflects Hayward: “It needed an actor of immense skills to plumb the depths of the character, as Russell has done, to understand why ultimately this man would take his own life.”
Crowe offers some insight into the crucial dilemma Hayward mentions: “Javert is a man with a very specific morality and a specific understanding of the way the world works: what is good and what is evil. When he is proved wrong, when a man he believes to be bad turns out to be good, Javert is broken.”
As was true of his Valjean, Hooper’s Javert was fully committed to bringing the character to life. “Russell’s preparation for this role has been extraordinary, and he has been such an amazing person to work with,” compliments Hooper. “He has such fine intellect and such an extraordinary amount to bring to storytelling, which I have so enjoyed and benefitted from.”
Echoing Jackman, Crowe recognizes the Herculean challenge Hooper gave himself: “Tom’s put every ounce of his being into this. He worked seven days a week and still managed to keep himself balanced. He’s a tough guy; when he wants something, he wants it and he’s going to have it, but that’s the kind of director you want to work with.”
