Taming of a Gladiator

Not so long ago 5am would still find Russell Crowe drinking with friends or, at best, slumbering off the excesses of the previous night. He was a man who partied as hard as he worked and his reputation as an inebriated lout was as notable as his screen genius.

Fast forward a few months, however, and the dawn again finds Crowe awake, but these days he is more likely to be saluting the sun than sinking the last dregs of Victoria Bitter.

As preposterous as it may seem, the star of Gladiator has taken up yoga. "Even a cowboy's gotta stretch," he says. "It's cool to wake up and do a bit of yoga in the morning while the sun's coming up."

This new quest for physical harmony is the latest example of the extraordinary reformation of Russell Crowe. Ever since his drunken behaviour culminated in a brawl in a London restaurant last November, the 39-year-old actor has kept a low profile, retreating to his farm in Australia to, as friends put it, "sort himself out".

He has married his long-time love, Danielle Spencer, and has confirmed they are expecting their first child in January. He says he is "ecstatic" about the forthcoming birth. "We don't care - boy, girl - for us the joy of having a baby is fine and dandy. We will take whatever comes. Thanks God."

Work has been put on the back burner, as Crowe intended, drinking sessions have ceased and the trysts with Nicole Kidman which raised many an eyebrow appear to have evaporated.

He seems content simply to be with Danielle at their new $14 million apartment on Sydney's stylish Woolloomooloo Wharf and enjoy the simple pleasures of any newly wed - a walk in the park, a concert or a quiet lunch overlooking the harbour.

Some say he's taken a deliberate step back from the Hollywood hype to focus on cherished elements of his old life. For the next few weeks he's touring with his band Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts, first in Australia, then Chicago.

Inevitably, this return to a quieter life prompts the question: how concerned was he that repeated headlines about his boorish behaviour might damage his reputation among fans and movie moguls?

His publicist, Wendy Day, laughs at suggestions that there is a "Clean-up Russell" campaign under way. "Nothing has been designed. Russell is simply doing what he said he was going to do. He wanted time off to plan his wedding and spend some time with his family."

Day attributes Crowe's exhaustion and stress at the end of last year to his forthcoming film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, in which he plays a Navy captain who sets out to explore the globe against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.

Others, however, believe Crowe was forced to take a good look at himself after a string of questionable incidents threatened to overshadow his illustrious career. Last year he missed out on an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, a result some ascribe to his outburst at the Baftas when he took umbrage at his speech being cut.

Says one insider: "Russell is not in the habit of bowing to expectations but he realised the pressures were getting to him. He'd gone from nobody to megastar in such a short time and while fame is beguiling, he knew that lifestyle was pulling him away from what he believes himself to be.

"Sure, he's always been a cocky bastard and he fights to the death for what he believes in, but once you're in the public eye you have to temper your reactions. Publicity is a game and when you're famous you become a player whether you want to or not. That irks Russell but he's learning."

By the time Master and Commander is released in November he'll have had a year away from the big screen. It's not that his talents haven't been sought, but he was intent on taking time out to be with his parents and Danielle.

"I feel a great need to wake up with her as many days of my life as I can," he revealed, before adding that she had been "very patient with the speculations of the past year".

Outsiders might presume his new wife is to thank for the change in his disposition, but it is Russell who rules Russell. Contrary to his image, he is said to be a deeply sensitive man, keen to develop a solid life away from the fickle world of show business.

DAY points out: " Russell is a highly intelligent, straightforward guy. But he's a real man. He doesn't suffer fools gladly and in certain situations he refuses to be a cardboard cut-out. If something he believes in is threatened, then he tends to react." As he approaches 40, however, he is learning to channel his passion. Friends say it will be a wiser, more restrained Crowe who returns to the red carpet in a few months.

He's tasted all the trappings of stardom - the swanky hotels, the parties and, of course, the celebrity girlfriend in the form of Meg Ryan - and he's returned to what he values most: home, loyalty and good friends.

But time will tell whether Crowe's reformation is a return to his true self, or simply an orchestrated attempt to rehabilitate his image.