Russell Crowe issued a blistering warning to fans who had gathered outside his Paris hotel desperate for an autograph.
The âGladiatorâ star, 62, issued a set of rules to autograph hunters before warning he would abandon the impromptu meet and greet if just one person acted like a âdâk.â
âAre you listening?â Crowe asked. âStay where you are, donât fâking push in on me. Iâll come to you. Give everyone space.â
âAs soon as somebody is a dâk, Iâm gone. You got me?â
Some groveling autograph hunters replied âYesâ before the casually-dressed star went about signing posters.
Croweâs exchange has gone viral â sparking debate on whether the A-lister was overzealous. But, scores of X users rushed to defend the actor.
âI donât blame him. Those people are vultures with no regard for anyone but themselves. Good for him. Boundaries.â one X user wrote.
âThis honestly seemed pretty fair from Russell? Set some boundaries, stayed and signed autographs. Whatâs the issue?â another asked, puzzled about the debate.
âHe was setting clear boundaries with the crowd. People were pushing in pretty aggressively, and he still took time to sign for fans,â 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 Zverevâs tussle with Benjamin Bonzi.
He grabbed the ball and proudly stood up, while fellow fans applauded.
âAre you not entertained,â Crowe shouted, a nod to the famous scene in âGladiatorâ where the actorâs 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 coupleâs age gap swirled online â with some thinking Theriot was 30 years younger than the âNurembergâ star before he put an end to the speculation.
âIt is so ungentlemanly to do this, however, my lovely Britney is 42 years of age. I am 61,â 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 Australiaâs â60 Minutesâ he had no plans to marry for a second time.
âWhy would I go through⊠Iâve been married once,â he said.
âI know how it can go and where it can go. So I donât need to go to that place.âÂ
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