An actor and stunt coordinator who injured his leg has reached his £25,000 fundraising target for treatment, thanks to a little help from his friend Russell Crowe.
Charlie Allan teaches and performs combat in film and television, having worked with Crowe on Gladiator as well as Robin Hood.
In August this year, Allan injured his leg while building an access platform to his gym, resulting an arterial thrombosis diagnosis (where a blood clot develops in an artery).
Allan is now in need of a procedure known as an Endovascular Thrombectomy. The procedure, which combat expert is hoping to have in Europe, costs around £25,000, prompting the GoFundMe appeal.
In addition to sharing the appeal on social media, Crowe also donated £5,000 of his own money to help Allan reach his target.
If you ever saw the first Gladiator, the barbarian leader who tosses the severed head of a Roman emissary back towards the Roman line in a display of defiance, is Charlie Allan.
We also worked together on Robin Hood. He is a great bloke & a good friend. https://t.co/Wd2jCJ17H7— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) November 23, 2024
Speaking to the PA news agency, Allan said (via the Belfast Telegraph): “Yeah it was a big surprise because I asked him not to (donate)! He’s been kind to me in so many ways. I never ask Russell for anything.
He continued: “I get inundated with people throwing scripts at me wanting me to ask Russell to read the script – which I don’t do – and I guess that’s why we are friends. Because I respect his privacy and I respect him as a friend.
“I’ve never pressured him for anything, so against my wishes he donated anyway but he also did what I asked him to do and put it out there on his X account.
“I’m very humbled, it means everything to me. The level of support and love has just been quite overwhelming to be honest.”
Crowe shared the fundraiser on X with the message: “If you ever saw the first Gladiator, the barbarian leader who tosses the severed head of a Roman emissary back towards the Roman line in a display of defiance, is Charlie Allan.
“We also worked together on Robin Hood. He is a great bloke & a good friend.”
The fundraising page, set up by Allan’s friends Randy Dedrickson and Stewart Flora, reads: “Let’s unite to help restore not only Charlie’s health but also his spirit and the joy of being with his family and contributing to the wider community.
“Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a meaningful impact on Charlie’s life.”
In other news, director Ridley Scott recently spoke out about Nick Cave’s cancelled Gladiator sequel, which would have been a musical involving portals, Roman gods and time travel. Crowe himself described the idea as “no fucking good”.