|
Crowe "appalled" by reports of croc-hunter biopic
2006-09-25
Australian star Russell Crowe has angrily denied reports that he is set to play crocodile hunter Steve Irwin in a movie immortalising the daredevil naturalist. Crowe, a good friend of Irwin who was killed by a stingray barb in a freak accident earlier this month, said he was appalled at suggestions that he was planning to star in a biopic, just weeks after the Australian's death. "It's appalling to me," Crowe said in an interview with television show Extra to be screened here later Monday. "(It) offends me very deeply, so awful that I have to deal with millions of people thinking I would dance on my friend's grave," Crowe added. Reports said Crowe was already in talks with Universal about playing Irwin. One story cited an anonymous "insider" who said Crowe once told Irwin that he wanted to play him in a movie version of his life. Oscar-winner Crowe made a recorded tribute from New York for last week's memorial service for Irwin in Australia that brought the nation to a standstill. "We have lost a friend, a champion. It will take some time to adjust to that," Crowe said in the tribute. Crowe, the star of "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind", said the worldwide outpouring of grief that greeted Irwin's death reflected the deep affection in which the environmentalist was held. "He proved that the enthusiasm with which you greet people is often reflected," Crowe said. "Some people see him as just a funny bloke on TV and he was a funny bloke on TV, but he was really serious about what he did
| 
