Russell Crowe in Acropolis Now

Is that Russell Crowe, playing a girl-shy nerd in a 1991 episode of the sitcom Acropolis Now? It is indeed – and the novelty of seeing him before his brood-and-smoulder era gives the scene its spark. 

Crowe, kitted out in a shiny tracksuit and oversized glasses, leans into the physical comedy of the role. His frantic discomfort is wonderfully set against the high-confidence rhythms of Effie (Mary Coustas) and Jim (Nick Giannopoulos). Their brassy line delivery, posture and expressive hair flicks show how fully they inhabit their characters, who are part of an exaggerated Greek-Australian world buzzing with sitcom charm. Within that heightened universe, Crowe is the perfect foil – a future Gladiator edged into a corner by big personalities and even bigger laughs.