Russell Crowe reportedly flew "into a rage" in a stunning meltdown in which he was "screaming at people" before "storming off".
The Kiwi actor was at a Q&A event in New York, taking part in a panel discussion about his new TV series The Loudest Voice in which he plays the late Fox News chairman Roger Ailes.
According to the New York Post, he lost his cool when the event's producers wanted the host Ricky Camilleri to introduce Crowe in a way that would cast Ailes - who resigned from Fox News in 2016 following sexual harassment allegations - in a bad light.
A source said: "It was harmless, but Russell threw himself into a rage as soon as he heard it. It had not been preapproved by his people. He refused to walk out on the stage. He was screaming at people and then just stormed out onto the street."
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Advertise with NZME.According to the Post, Crowe returned after storming out to do a press interview in the basement, where Camilleri and a producer attempted to apologise to him but Crowe was reportedly still fuming and "completely unloaded" on Camilleri.
However, a spokesperson for Crowe told the Post the claims were "not correct" and "Russell did not 'freak out'". He also "graciously accepted" the apology.
"There was no 'curse-filled tirade.' He simply made the decision not to do the interview following the host's intro," they said.
A spokesperson for the panel also said the claims were "just not true", insisting "our studio is a place of respect and comfort, and everyone who comes here has a great time."
"[Crowe] was concerned the interview would be biased given our host saying [Ailes] was not a good guy. That's the end of the story."
