The coroner ruled that alcohol and the sedative Valium contributed to the accidental drowning. But to do it with the public, with the media at your heels, is almost unendurable. Crowe originally talked to Tom Cruise about playing the rock star and eventually cast Brad Pitt who quickly dropped out. That has never been a concern for me. I just want to be an actor.
Celebrity is actually a hindrance to such a goal.
I prefer to remain anonymous. The more audiences know about me, the harder I have to work to make my characters believable. The fact he isn't as well known works for the film. Audiences buy Billy as the musician the moment they see him. It would have taken the same audiences 15 or 20 minutes to forget the guy with the guitar was Brad or Tom.