STORY BEHIND THE MOVIE

WHAT’S the story behind A Beautiful Mind? – L.

The life of genius John Nash, who developed paranoid schizophrenia before recovering to win the Nobel prize in economic sciences, formed the basis of this powerful biographical drama.

Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt were all linked with the central role before director Ron Howard cherry-picked Russell Crowe.

In a break from Hollywood convention, the film was shot chronologically to help the New Zealand-born Oscar winner refine his portrayal of Nash, while astute use of new make-up techniques ensured he could ‘age’ convincingly.

The inspirational mathematician and his wife Alicia, who was portrayed by Jennifer Connelly, were killed in a taxi cab crash two years ago, aged 86 and 82 respectively.

Crowe paid tribute, saying: “Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts.”