Matt Bomer Feared Russell Crowe Might Really Choke Him Filming ‘The Nice Guys’
Clark Collis hosted a SiriusXM Town Hall with the film’s cast and creators.
Russell Crowe made sure to play nice with Matt Bomer while filming their new ’70s cop comedy, “The Nice Guys.”
During a SiriusXM Town Hall with the cast and creators of the film, Crowe recalled shooting a violent scene with an anxious Bomer.
“One of the first things that we had to do together was I had to strangle him,” Crowe, 52, told Entertainment Weekly Radio’s Clark Collis. “And I know from past experiences, sometimes when you work with younger actors and stuff, what their references really are is ‘LA Confidential,’ ‘Gladiator,’ stuff like that. They’re scared s—tless that it’s going to be for real.”
“Well, I was also like, ‘Is Russell really going to choke me out in this take?'” said Bomer, 38. “And I was like, ‘I’m cool with that if he is, but maybe that’s gonna happen.'”
We don’t blame him for feeling intimidated: Crowe’s known for kicking some serious butt in action movies. But the Hollywood heavyweight walked Bomer through his moves.
“I showed him how I could apply full weight through my arms and not actually touch him,” Crowe explained. “So he sort of relaxed.”
That is, until Crowe decided to have some fun moments before director Shane Black cried, “Action!”
“I’ve got both my hands around Matt’s neck, and I’m staring at him, and I just whisper, ‘Hey, Matt, this is for Magic Mike,'” he said, laughing.
Hear the full SiriusXM Town Hall with “The Nice Guys” on Friday at 2pm ET on Entertainment Weekly Radio.
