Robin Hood role for sword fighter

Darren Mitchell on location during the filming of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood

A Nottingham sword fighting expert has been filming with Russell Crowe in the new Ridley Scott feature Robin Hood.

Darren Mitchell, a former Robin Hood impersonator, spent nearly two months working with Hollywood stars on location around Britain.

He said Russell Crowe was "a very nice guy" and the whole experience of working on the film was "amazing".

Mitchell will have to wait until 14 May 2010 for the premiere to see how often he appears on screen.

He got the part through The Clanranald Trust, a Scottish heritage organisation run by actor Charlie Allan.

[Russell Crowe] is a very nice guy. Very quietly spoken, you have to listen hard to what he says. Darren Mitchell

Allan has starred in a number of films, including the Ridley Scott film Gladiator.

Initially, Mitchell was asked whether he could be part of the fight combat team for just 10 days, but in the end he stayed much longer.

He said: "I had fought for years and I've done a bit of acting. I went over to Wales and after seven weeks of filming we'd finished!"

Russell Crowe

New Zealand-born Russell Crowe plays the title role in Ridley Scott's gritty interpretation of the Nottingham legend.

Crowe has a reputation for being difficult, but Mitchell said he had a positive experience of the actor.

Darren Mitchell on location with actor Russell Crowe (left) in Wales

"[Russell] is a very nice guy. Very quietly spoken, you have to listen hard to what he says."

Crowe even gave him a gift.

"Russell's local rugby team is the [South Sydney] Rabbitohs. He was giving [their] hats out, he had Ridley Scott wearing one and the rest of the crew."

Tourism opportunity

Mitchell played the infamous outlaw for three and a half years at Nottingham's Tales of Robin Hood.

He said since the tourist attraction closed early in 2009 there has been a shortage of places for enthusiasts to visit.

"If you look around the city there's not a great deal that incorporates Robin Hood. There's so many things we could do [with the legend].

Darren Mitchell was given this baseball cap by Russell Crowe

"We need to do something now for when the film comes out."

Mike Balcon of the tourism promotion group Experience Nottinghamshire has been looking at the problem.

He said: "If we can push everything we can about Nottingham and Nottinghamshire off the back of this film, it's all to the good as far as we're concerned."

"We're looking at the legacy of this film, not just immediate [impact] but it's going to be going on for a number of years, we hope."