Cristiano Ronaldo Dropped From Martin Scorsese Film For Being Too Famous, Will Still Get $20 Million


You probably never thought that you’d ever see Cristiano Ronaldo appearing in a Martin Scorsese film. And it turns out that you really never will, because even though the Real Madrid player was in line to feature in the legendary director’s new film, he has been dropped.

However, before you start feeling sorry for the Portuguese forward, he is still getting paid $20 million for not doing a thing.

This story actually starts several weeks ago. Representatives for Martin Scorsese, who is currently putting the finishing touches to his latest film, The Silence, contacted Cristiano Ronaldo because he wanted to shoot scenes for his next project The Manipulator in his New York penthouse apartment, which is located in Trump Tower.

To try and sweeten the deal for Ronaldo, Martin Scorsese also decided to offer him a small cameo in The Manipulator. But now this deal has been revoked.

That’s according to Alessandro Proto, the Italian millionaire who The Manipulator is based on and who also allegedly inspired 50 Shades Of Grey, who told Gazzetta World, via GQ, that Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be appearing in the film any longer.

Proto has been quoted as saying, “Ronaldo is a great player, but that doesn’t mean he is the king of the world. I don’t want him in a film about my life. Martin Scorsese is in agreement with me. Cristiano Ronaldo is not going to be in the film.”

Proto continued, “I am sorry if he doesn’t feel valued, but in life you win some and you lose some. If I really have to give him €20 million, I will give it to him with my own hands.”

It also sounds as if Martin Scorsese is in complete agreement with Proto over Cristiano Ronaldo’s involvement in The Manipulator. The Departed, Casino, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas director decided that it would probably be for the best if Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t in the film over fears that he would distract audiences because of just how popular he is.

There have since been reports that Channing Tatum is going to take Cristiano Ronaldo’s spot in the film.

However, even though Cristiano Ronaldo is being dropped and cut out of the film before he even got a chance to showcase his acting prowess, he is still going to pocket around $22.5 million for letting the director and his cast and crew use his apartment for the shoot.

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News that Cristiano Ronaldo was going to appear in The Manipulator first emerged in September, with the Spanish daily newspaper Marca, via Eurosport, teasing that Scorsese and his team needed to use his apartment.

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Alessandro Proto insisted back in 2014 that he was the inspiration for Christian Grey, the lead character in E.L. James’ erotic novel, 50 Shades Of Grey.

According to the NY Daily News, Proto explained that he met James back in 2010 when she was touring around Italy as a writer scribing about international celebrities that were buying up properties across the country.

Proto insists that he spent two days traveling around Italy with James discussing how he’d helped to broker home deals for Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Madonna.

Talking about the various similarities between himself and the character, Proto explained, “The firm Grey runs in the book is called Grey Enterprise Holding. Mine is called Proto Organization Holding. When I met E.L. James I used to drive a R8 Audi,” a car that also features in the book.

Proto continued, “My office is located at the 8th floor. It is the highest in the building. I came from nothing, I see top floors as a metaphor for achievement and success.”

[Images via Getty/Bruno Vigneron & Getty/Anthony Harvey & Getty/Denis Doyle & Getty/Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno]

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