The irony of playing a man with extreme road rage isn’t lost on Russell Crowe.
Fifteen years after his infamous ‘phone throwing’ incident, the actor, 56, is now gearing up to star in Unhinged, a thriller movie in which his character hunts down a woman for simply beeping at him on the highway.
‘I actually saw that as kind of amusing,’ Russell told The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, when quizzed on how it feels to finally embrace the ‘angry man’ trope in his career, after being accused of having a temper for years.
‘I actually saw that as kind of amusing’: Russell Crowe, 56, has revealed he finds it ‘amusing’ to finally play a character with extreme rage issues in new film Unhinged – 15 years after THAT phone throwing incident. Pictured in Unhinged trailer
Clarifying that he doesn’t actually have anger issues in real life, Russell continued: ‘But in reality if you look at my work life, I go from one set to another set, I do the work that I want to do.’
‘That cliched description that is applied to me isn’t any level of my truth,’ he said.
The Gladiator star went on to explain that, as a result of his fame, he has lost control over what is said about him in the media.
‘That cliched description that is applied to me isn’t any level of my truth’: Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, Russell claimed the false idea that he has a bad temper has become an important ‘asset’ to the media’s ‘broader phenomenon’
As a result, the false idea that he has a bad temper has become an important ‘asset’ to the media’s ‘broader phenomenon’, he argued.
Russell has famously been accused of losing his temper on several occasions.
In one of his more memorable incidents, the Cinderella Man star allegedly threw a phone at a New York hotel worker in 2005 after being unable to place a call successfully to Australia.
Infamous incident: The Cinderella Man star allegedly threw a phone at a New York hotel worker in 2005 after being unable to place a call successfully to Australia. Pictured in 2002 with ex-wife Danielle Spencer
In 2014, Russell defended the alleged assault during an interview with Channel Seven’s Sunday Night, claiming: ‘I never touched him, mate. Never touched him, never laid a finger on him.’
The Kiwi-born star was also accused of losing his cool again while filming The True History of the Kelly Gang in Victoria, Australia in August 2018.
Claims emerged from the set that a frustrated Russell lost it when he discovered that catering had run out of rice and had ‘stormed off’.
Claims: The Kiwi-born star was also accused of losing his cool again while filming movie The True History of the Kelly Gang in Victoria, Australia in August 2018, when he discovered that ‘catering had run out of rice’
Controversy: In June, Page Six reported that the star had ‘thrown himself into a rage’ during a midday meltdown while appearing on the AOL Build Series. The actor’s rep disputed this account however
In June, Page Six reported that the star had ‘thrown himself into a rage’ during a midday meltdown while appearing on the AOL Build Series.
‘He refused to walk out on the stage. He was screaming at people and then just stormed out onto the street,’ a source claimed at the time.
The actor’s rep disputed this account however, saying in a statement: ‘This is not correct. Russell did not “freak out” and there was no “curse-filled tirade”. He simply made the decision not to do the interview following the host’s intro.’
A rep for Build echoed that statement, saying: ‘Our experience with Russell at our studio was completely fine. There was no “meltdown”. No animosity, whatsoever. He simply chose not to go on stage fearing we had a bias. That is really the end of it.’
Unhinged will be released in Australia on July 30, and July 31 in the UK and US
Upcoming: Unhinged will be released in Australia on July 30, and July 31 in the UK and US