Concomitant to the legend of Robin Hood is the story of his Merry Men, here a band of fellows disillusioned with life under the newly anointed King John.
Fellow yeomen in Richard’s war, they accompany Robin back to England after the death of Richard allows them to escape the conflicts.
Portraying the troupe are Kevin Durand as Robin’s right hand and muscle, Little John; Scott Grimes as the youngest of the gang, Will Scarlet; and acting newcomer Alan Doyle as minstrel Allan A’Dayle.
Says Crowe: "The core thing with these guys is that they are all athletes, and they all have a physical side to what they do in the film.
"Added to that, they are all intelligent, so they can learn new skills quickly. They also have an irrepressible sense of humor. It’s been a great benefit to me and to Ridley, and no doubt the movie, that we’ve had guys like this playing these roles."
Crowe notes that each of the men brings a talent to their parts that mirrors their on-screen characters.
"Scott’s an incredible singer," he commends. Kevin has the coordination of a ballet dancer, yet the physicality of an ice hockey player; he is 6 feet 7 and 235 pounds.
He also has a great singing voice. Then there’s Alan, who has never acted. He’s a folk singer from Newfoundland, and he knows how to play the lute.
I said to Ridley, ‘If you’re going to have a guy playing the troubadour, let’s have a guy who knows how to play the lute. That way, if you don’t like a particular tune, you can change it then and there.’ He also has a wonderful singing voice. That’s a key element with the Merry Men."
No Robin Hood tale would be complete without the iconic Friar Tuck, a plump man of the cloth who prefers his mead and ladies to the dry pulpit that comes with being the local abbot.
Played by The Full Monty’s Mark Addy, Tuck meets Robin and his band when they are on their way to Peper Harow to deliver the news of Sir Robert Loxley’s (played by Douglas Hodge) sudden death to Sir Walter.
A beekeeper and reluctant servant of the crown, Tuck all too readily becomes part of Robin’s band of usurpers.
Robin Hood is out now.
Tagged in Robin Hood Russell Crowe