Crikey, mate! Get your facts straight! Russell Crowe was recently caught in the middle of a thoughtless web of an ongoing rumor that he wanted to play "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin in a movie about the wildlife enthusiast's life. However, the Australian actor said the thought that anybody would think he wants to cash in on his friend's death "absolutely disgusts" him.
Crowe, who is currently filming "American Gangster," took some time out to set the record straight with ComingSoon.net, whom he also spoke to about his upcoming project "A Good Year," which is based on a novel by Peter Mayle. The "Gladiator" star was appalled to find out there had been spreading rumors that he wanted to play Irwin in a biopic when, less than a week ago, he was at his good friend's public memorial service in Australia and continues to mourn the conservationist's death.
Crowe fumed, "There's no truth to that whatsoever. That's one of those appalling pieces of sh** that come out of the press. While my friend's body is still warm, I'm being accused of doing commerce over his grave, and it absolutely disgusts me."
He added, "Should there be a movie about Steve? For sure, what an incredible and unique life he led. His childhood growing up with his mom and dad in a reptile park, but his ambitions turning that simple reptile park into the greatest zoo in Australia, and from my individual perspective, the place that really cares about the animals. What people really don't understand about Steven is Steven was, first and foremost, a conservationist, probably the most individually active conservationist in the world. What he stood for was far more than being the funny guy on TV. Serious people at serious universities realized who he really was."
Irwin died in early September in a bizarre accident when a stingray's barb pierced his heart while he was filming a documentary underwater, off the coast of Australia.
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