Russell Crowe is hitting the high seas. The Academy Award winning actor is setting sail in "Master and Commander," the big-screen sea epic that is already creating Oscar buzz, and that had Crowe battling real waves for months.

Crowe says, "For me, mainly the thing I had to do was get over sea sickness because I'd always suffered from it from the time I was a kid."

And as captain of the ship, Crowe was determined to ride the waves to completion. He says, "I knew there was always the possibility that the captain would have to turn around and that would not be a good look."

Russell and costar Paul Bettany, who plays the ship's doctor, mastered the sea. But for the rest of crew, it was another story. Bettany says, "I haven't seen that many people puking together since the Cure concert in 1986. It's really awful if it is happening to you. But it is funny to watch. I shouldn't say that."

Crowe says, "You can't deliver dialogue under the effects of Dramamine. Maybe that explains some things about Paul's performance though. I should talk to him about that."

The film is a reunion for Crowe and Bettany, who costarred in the Oscar winning "A Beautiful Mind." And once again, the duo plays best friends, and off screen they were each other's best critics.

Bettany says, "We were both really frank with each other and that is how I like to work. You can just go, 'That was shocking. That was bad.'"

And Bettany was frank in telling "Extra" that notorious tough guy Crowe was on his best behavior. He says, "He's a man's man and that gets him in trouble sometimes. I've spent 11 months working with him, and I've never seen him fight once."

In fact, Crow is quite an old softie. He showed everyone his soft side by taking them to Sea World. He says, "That sort of stuff was about giving people a little relaxation and fun time together."

"Master and Commander" sets sail mid-November.