Source: The Sun-Herald
December 18, 2005
by Christine Sams
A sizeable handful of celebrities, led by Cate Blanchett, turned out in Coogee on Friday to appeal publicly for tolerance in regard to the riots at Sydney beaches.
But other big-name Hollywood stars who couldn't be there, including Russell Crowe, have also expressed their concern about the situation.
Crowe, who performed at the Vanguard in Newtown on Tuesday night, gave a rambling speech in the tones of an American evangelist that eventually touched on the riots.
Apart from jokes about junk food (and urging people to "eat for Jesus") , Crowe zeroed in on the values of Franklin D. Roosevelt's "good neighbour" policy, intoning the need for people to respect other human beings.
Despite persisting with the fake American accent until the end of his "sermon", Crowe snapped out of character to give his forthright opinion about the events in Cronulla and Maroubra: "It was absolutely fucking appalling and we can't let it happen again," he said.
Crowe will spend Christmas in Sydney with his wife, Danielle Spencer, and their son Charlie, who turns two on Wednesday. Happy birthday, Charlie!
in UK Vanity Fair ~ 2003
