20 Things You Somehow Missed In Gladiator
3. One Of The Tigers Was Bribed With A Handful Of Raw Meat To Appear Vicious
The five tigers on the set for the fight between Tigris and a pack of big cats came with their own veterinarian, who was constantly armed with a tranquilizer gun. Ridley Scott ordered that Russell Crowe never come within fifteen feet of any of the tigers for safety reasons.
Scott's fears proved unfounded however; in fact, quite the opposite happened. The tigers were very relaxed on the set, so much so that when it was time for them to appear like vicious killers, at least one of them had to be bribed.
During the fight, a tiger jumps onto Maximus' back. The shot transitions to Maximus lying on the ground (now played by one of the tiger handlers) with a tiger on top of him. In his right hand, the handler is holding a fistful of raw meat, enticing the tiger to fully stretch its body over him and appear like it is struggling with Maximus.
Old school Hollywood magic still works.