Russell Crowe: Aussies like it rough and tumble

Nov 3, 2006, 12:10 GMT

epa00839030 New Zealand actor Russell Crowe (L) arrives with his wife, Australian singer Danielle Spencer (R), and their two-year-old son Charlie at Ciampino\'s airport, near Rome, on Thursday 12 October 2006. Crowe is in Italy presenting his film \'A Good Year\' by Ridley Scott. EPA/STR

Russell Crowe says violence is acceptable in Australia.

The 'Gladiator' star pleaded guilty last year to third-degree assault for throwing a phone at a hotel clerk but claims the incident would not have been frowned upon Down Under.

Crowe told US TV show 'CBS TV': "Where I come from, a confrontation like that, as basic and simple as that, would have been satisfied with a handshake and an apology.

"And your legal system is very open to be misused.

"You got to have a temper. You know what happens when you don't have one? One day you're walking down the street and you just pop."

The 42-year-old New Zealand-born actor lost his temper with the hotel employee last June when he had trouble calling his wife in Australia from his room at the Mercer Hotel, in Manhattan's SoHo district.

Crowe also recently threw a tantrum at a top London restaurant because his £3,500 bottle of wine had gone off.

The 'Beautiful Mind' star was dining at Marco Pierre White's exclusive Mirabelle eatery when he sent back the wine saying it had been 'corked' - when a wine has been in contact with a contaminated cork during the ageing process.

Crowe said: "I wanted to do something special so I ordered a bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1964, bottled the year I was born.

"It is an Australian wine that I have had a lot of experience with, so when it was opened and brought to the table I could smell from two foot away that it had been corked. It had gone off.

"The waiter spent about 45 minutes trying to convince us that it was the chestnut undertones and the wafts of blackberry.

"I just turned round and went, 'Mate. It's off'. He refused to accept it was corked but eventually replaced it. Very nice it was too."

(C) BANG Media International