Gladiator star Russell Crowe donates thousands to help save stuntman’s leg
Gladiator star Russell Crowe is helping his friend in an effort to save his leg.
Charlie Allan, a stuntman on Gladiator, was renovating the entrance of his garage when he fell off the top of the building, prompting a “crunching” feeling all the way down to his ankle, according to Kennedy News and Media.
Allan, 61, may lose his leg due to the fall. Crowe, who worked with him on Gladiator and Robin Hood, donated £5,000 ($9700) through Allan’s GoFundMe page.
“It feels awesome and makes me feel very humble that Russell Crowe has donated. Me and Russell go back to ‘Gladiator,’” Allan told the outlet. “In Gladiator, I was a stuntman and actor. I’m the guy that shouts at Russell Crowe with a severed head in my hand at the beginning of the movie.”
“It always raises a hair on the back after seeing this scene. There were 15,000 men on set that day, and it took three weeks to film the first 10 minutes of the film. This is how me and Russell became friends on Gladiator. We have been friends for years.”
According to Kennedy News and Media, Allan’s fall caused a “complete arterial thrombosis in his left leg, which has placed him in a critical condition due to the inadequate blood supply to his limb.”
According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), arterial thrombosis “is a blood clot that develops in an artery. It’s dangerous as it can obstruct or stop the flow of blood to major organs, such as the heart or brain.”
Kennedy News and Media reported that Allan was admitted to the University Hospital Hairmyres in Glasgow and told he needed to have a procedure to fix his leg.
While at the hospital, Allan was waiting for a vein bypass after his “leg turned white and went numb.” Twenty-four hours before his planned surgery, Allan was informed they couldn’t go ahead with the surgery due to previous blunt-force trauma to his leg.
The outlet reported that he was sent home with painkillers and blood thinners and was reportedly told that no other surgery was available to him under NHS.
After receiving the news, Allan’s wife, Chara Gallos-Allan, 33, launched a GoFundMe page in an attempt to find an alternative treatment to hopefully save his leg.
According to Kennedy News and Media, the GoFundMe’s goal was €25,000 ($40,000) to help with an endovascular thrombectomy outside the U.K.
“I’m very humbled and excited at the prospect of actually being able to get the procedure done. If I’m able to get it done before Christmas, it will be a very active and outdoorsy festive period,” Allan said.
“I’m a fit guy for my age. I ride bikes and horses. You’ve got to keep fit.”
Charlie detailed the fall to the news outlet and explained the situation has “severely impacted” his life.
“At the moment, I can only walk about 20 feet before stopping as the pain becomes unbearable. I’m on my feet all the time. I run an events charity, and I teach lads sword work to get on TV,” he said.
“I’m an actor, stuntman and combat stuntman, and it’s severely impacted my life. I can’t chase after my son at the moment as he gets older, and it’s ruined my quality of life.”
Allan noted that he hasn’t been able to see Gladiator II, which stars Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, but he “will be going to see it when I can.”
