Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson reveals that the first time she met Russell Crowe, he told her to "f**k off". Wilson, who grew up in Australia, was first introduced to American audiences with her small part in 2011's Bridesmaids, but it was 2012's Pitch Perfect that saw her take on a more substantial role opposite Anna Kendrick. Recently, Wilson appeared in the Oscar-winning Jo Jo Rabbit as Fraulein Rahm and starred in the critically panned Cats.
Crowe, who spent most of his childhood in Australia, is best known for his starring roles in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Robin Hood, and the 2020 thriller Unhinged. While a bankable actor throughout the early and mid-2000s, Crowe developed something of a reputation for being difficult to work with, and, as he got older, he generally seemed to be content spending more time at home in Australia and starring in fewer films. Crowe is, however, slated to appear in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder as Zeus opposite Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, and Natalie Portman.
During the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, per Metro, Wilson took to the stage to share a funny story about the first time she ever met Crowe. After spotting him out for dinner with Nicole Kidman, Wilson, who was around 19 at the time, approached their table and claims that Crowe promptly told her to "f**k off". Check out Wilson's full comment below:
I have to tell you guys a story about the very first time that I met Russell. I was a young actor. I was like 19. And, um, he was sitting there having dinner with Nicole Kidman at STC. I was like, 'Oh, my God!' and I went up to them and I was like really nervous, and he turned to me, and he looked me right in the eyes, and he just said, 'F**k off'. It’s a true story! Many years later, Nicole Kidman gave me a scholarship to go to America and study comedy. Russell didn’t give me anything. No Rabbitohs merch – nothing.
While the story is played for laughs and it's not clear if Wilson is stretching the truth for comedic effect, the encounter would align with other stories about Crowe's sometimes less-than-friendly demeanor. Gladiator undoubtedly made Crowe a star, but a book released several years later about the production of the film paints Crowe as short-tempered and difficult to work with, claims that have since been corroborated by others who have also worked with the actor. One incident in particular in the mid-2000s involved the actor being arrested and charged with assault after an altercation with a hotel employee.
Regardless of whether the story is true, things ultimately worked out for Wilson, who was granted a scholarship by Kidman and ended up breaking into Hollywood. At the time the incident would have occurred, in the early 2000s, Crowe was already a relatively big star and it probably wasn't out of the ordinary for fans to approach him while he was out in public. Many other actors have rules regarding fan interaction and Crowe likely wanted an undisturbed dinner with friend Nicole Kidman. While being told to "f**k off" isn’t the nicest way to be greeted by an acting hero, at least it gave Wilson a funny story to tell.
Source: Metro