'That movie will always be with me!' Billy Crudup reflects on the legacy of Almost Famous

Billy Crudup says 'Almost Famous' is a movie that will "always be with [him]."

The 54-year-old actor played Russell Hammond in the 2000 comedy alongside the likes of Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Fairuza Balk which follows a teenage journalist touring with the fictitious rock band Stillwater and reflected that the whole cast still holds the film in high regard because of their experience working with writer and director Cameron Crowe.

He said: "Everybody who was a part of that holds that film in high esteem, and for no other reason than Cameron Crowe is a wonderful human being. To be able to spend six months with him, he built this magical recreation of his childhood. It was a perfect example of what happens to our memories. He made that rather risky lifestyle seem downright folksy, and that’s because of the way it sat with him, in his memory. That’s the way he carried all of those artifacts with him. So, yeah, I think that will always be with me.

In 2022, a musical adaptation opened for an ill-fated run on Broadway and the Tony Award winner went on to add that he managed to see it just before it closed but noted that it was an "acid trip" to see one of his most famous roles played out in front of him.

He told Collider: "I went and saw the musical (on Broadway) just before it closed, and I sat next to Cameron. It was a bit of an acid trip, seeing a bit of your former life played out in front of you, but it was also really magical because it brought back so many of those great memories."