How Russell Crowe Became Roger Ailes, Plus: His Decision to Sell Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dinosaur Skull

On Monday night, actor Russell Crowe premiered his new TV series “The Loudest Voice” in New York.

For the dramatic miniseries, Crowe transformed into former FOX chairman Roger Ailes, the disgraced newsman who passed away in 2017. He told “Extra” that the transformation required him to be in the makeup chair for six hours at the beginning of filming, saying, “That was the first application — six hours. I had an incredibly good makeup team. Over a period of seven months, they got it down to about two and a half.”

“It was long, and it was arduous. Because you can't talk through most of it because they're playing with your mouth,” Russell pointed out about the process, which began when filming commenced in November. “Can't read a book or anything because they're all around your face all the time.”

“The Loudest Voice” is based on the best-selling book, which documents sexual harassment claims against Ailes. Crowe explained, “Everything you get on Google is focused on his demise… that's valid to a degree.”

It also stars Naomi Watts, Seth MacFarlane, Sienna Miller, Annabelle Wallis and Simon McBurney.

The Oscar winner wanted to bring attention to Ailes' professional accomplishments, emphasizing, “But he was still a man who built something…that's a very impressive money-making machine. Hopefully, even though at the end of the day probably kind of the bad day, hopefully we paid him some kind of due respect."

Crowe also commented on the headlines that he bought and sold a dinosaur skull from Leonardo DiCaprio. He shared, “My kids don't care about it anymore. It was great time at the time. Massive Dad points. But also mad Dad points for selling it at a profit a few years later.”