The 51-year-old actor reveals in a new interview that he began looking into the religion when he was hanging out with the 'Mission: Impossible' actor and his then-wife Nicole Kidman.
- Apr 23, 2015
AceShowbiz - Russell Crowe reveals to PEOPLE about his curiosity on Scientology. The "Man of Steel" actor says he looked into the highly-talked religion when he was hanging out with Tom Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman.
Russell's parents opted not to baptize him so that he could explore his own beliefs. "From a young kid, I was quite interested in religion," the "Robin Hood" actor says. "When I met Tom Cruise when he was married to [fellow Aussie] Nicole [Kidman], we were spending a bit of time together so I thought I'd find out a little bit about what he was into."
He then began his own research. "I found a video in the video store about Scientology and I watched it," the "Noah" actor recalls, "It wasn't that informative. But I brought it up with Tom and I thought he was really cool. He didn't try to sell me a pair of shoes. He just said, 'If it's something that interests you, you'll pursue it.' And I think that happens with any kind of religion if you come to it by your own discovery."
But Russell never ended up joining the Church of Scientology, in contrary to a recent report that named him a member. "I never ended up putting my two cents down on anybody's table. I've never graced [Scientology's] doorway," he claims.
Russell can next be seen in upcoming movie "The Water Diviner" along with Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Cem Yilmaz and Yilmaz Erdogan. The Australian historical-fictional drama, which Russell also directed, is scheduled for a limited release in the U.S. on April 24.
