He made his name as a toned warring Gladiator out for vengeance, but Russell Crowe doesn't seem to be winning the battle of his burgeoning belly right now.
The Robin Hood star was snapped out in the sun in Sydney getting some exercise on his bike yesterday - but it wasn't long before he'd stopped at a café for a cigarette break.The 46-year-old has certainly packed the pounds on of late but won't lose many inches with his current work-out technique.
Then again, a weightloss DVD wouldn't really be Russell's style. Quite the contrary, the committed actor has become famed for bulking up when his parts have demanded it.He had to put on over 27kg to play a CIA chief in the 2008 film Body Of Lies and said at the time that he indulged in burgers for breakfast as well as cupcakes.
Crowe admitted it wasn't difficult for him to gain the weight, explaining at the time: "At my age, I have to watch everything I eat. I have to be really disciplined. If you take off those disciplines, all hell breaks loose. And it happens pretty quickly."
Perhaps the latest gut is the result of his role in The Man With The Iron Fists. In the forthcoming movie, written by Peaches Geldof's ex boyfriend Eli Roth, Crowe plays a blacksmith in feudal China who makes weapons for a small village.
However, he's put in the position where he must defend himself and his fellow villagers. Roth was impressed with the actor on the film set, and has called him a "sweet guy." The Last Exorcism producer said: "Nobody believes this but I say Russell Crowe is an absolute sweetie pie.
"I said 'Russell, I am going to tell people what a nice guy you are.' He said, 'You can tell people but no one will believe it'." "He was fantastic, he was great and really funny and really cool."
The film, which also stars Lucy Liu and Pam Grier, is set for release later this year.
The Robin Hood star was snapped out in the sun in Sydney getting some exercise on his bike yesterday - but it wasn't long before he'd stopped at a café for a cigarette break.The 46-year-old has certainly packed the pounds on of late but won't lose many inches with his current work-out technique.
Then again, a weightloss DVD wouldn't really be Russell's style. Quite the contrary, the committed actor has become famed for bulking up when his parts have demanded it.He had to put on over 27kg to play a CIA chief in the 2008 film Body Of Lies and said at the time that he indulged in burgers for breakfast as well as cupcakes.
Crowe admitted it wasn't difficult for him to gain the weight, explaining at the time: "At my age, I have to watch everything I eat. I have to be really disciplined. If you take off those disciplines, all hell breaks loose. And it happens pretty quickly."
Perhaps the latest gut is the result of his role in The Man With The Iron Fists. In the forthcoming movie, written by Peaches Geldof's ex boyfriend Eli Roth, Crowe plays a blacksmith in feudal China who makes weapons for a small village.
However, he's put in the position where he must defend himself and his fellow villagers. Roth was impressed with the actor on the film set, and has called him a "sweet guy." The Last Exorcism producer said: "Nobody believes this but I say Russell Crowe is an absolute sweetie pie.
"I said 'Russell, I am going to tell people what a nice guy you are.' He said, 'You can tell people but no one will believe it'." "He was fantastic, he was great and really funny and really cool."
The film, which also stars Lucy Liu and Pam Grier, is set for release later this year.
