Russell Crowe delivered a stern message to fans eagerly awaiting his autograph outside a Paris hotel. The 62-year-old “Gladiator” actor laid down some ground rules for the crowd, cautioning that he would leave if anyone misbehaved.
“Are you listening?” Crowe addressed the crowd. “Stay where you are, don’t push in on me. I’ll come to you. Give everyone space.” He further warned, “As soon as somebody acts out, I’m gone. Understood?”
In response, some of the fans assured him with a “Yes,” allowing the casually-dressed actor to proceed with signing posters for the group.
“As soon as somebody is a d–k, I’m gone. You got me?”
Some groveling autograph hunters replied “Yes” before the casually-dressed star went about signing posters.
Crowe’s exchange has gone viral – sparking debate on whether the A-lister was overzealous. But, scores of X users rushed to defend the actor.
“I don’t blame him. Those people are vultures with no regard for anyone but themselves. Good for him. Boundaries.” one X user wrote.
“This honestly seemed pretty fair from Russell? Set some boundaries, stayed and signed autographs. What’s the issue?” another asked, puzzled about the debate.
“He was setting clear boundaries with the crowd. People were pushing in pretty aggressively, and he still took time to sign for fans,” a third said, backing Crowe.
Crowe has been in Paris with his 42-year-old girlfriend, Britney Theriot, and they attended the opening day of the French Open tennis championships on Sunday.
He was dressed for the occasion, donning a navy suit and gray waistcoat, completing his look with a light blue tie and shades.
Meanwhile, Theriot opted for a black blazer and white shirt and kept the jewelry minimal, wearing a chunky watch.
Video has since gone viral showing Crowe trying to catch a tennis ball during match point between Alexander Zverev’s tussle with Benjamin Bonzi.
He grabbed the ball and proudly stood up, while fellow fans applauded.
“Are you not entertained,” Crowe shouted, a nod to the famous scene in “Gladiator” where the actor’s character Maximus yelled the phrase in the Colosseum.
Crowe was seen applauding and taking photos of the stadium on his cell phone.
The Oscar-winning actor has been dating Theriot for around five-and-a-half years. They first sparked romance rumors in November 2020 when they were spotted kissing during a heated round of tennis.
And in February 2021, they seemed to be going strong as they were seen playing tennis together again in Australia.
Chatter about the couple’s age gap swirled online – with some thinking Theriot was 30 years younger than the “Nuremberg” star before he put an end to the speculation.
“It is so ungentlemanly to do this, however, my lovely Britney is 42 years of age. I am 61,” he wrote in an X post last November.
Crowe was previously married to Danielle Spencer, with whom he shares two sons: Charles, 22, and Tennyson, 19.
He and Spencer, also an actress, married in 2003 but separated in 2012.
Last year, Crowe told Australia’s “60 Minutes” he had no plans to marry for a second time.
“Why would I go through… I’ve been married once,” he said.
“I know how it can go and where it can go. So I don’t need to go to that place.”