Russell Crowe defends his stern warning to autograph hunters outside hotel

Russell Crowe has defended his recent behaviour with a bunch of autograph hunters in Paris.

The Gladiator actor was leaving his hotel in the French capital for the airport when he was greeted by a group of people seeking autographs and selfies.

Crowe addressed the crowd and gave them strict instructions about how to behave, according to a viral video shared on X by TMZ.

The Oscar-winning actor, who received a mixed response to his behaviour, took issue with the way TMZ editors characterised the moment in the video's caption.

"If you needed a reminder that fans are not always priority No. 1 -- turn to Russell Crowe -- cause the guy was absolutely not having it outside of his Paris hotel," TMZ's caption reads.

Crowe reshared the X post and insisted that he handled the situation well and everybody gathered outside of the hotel got what they wanted.

"Clickbait. Everybody got their autograph and selfie, the passage to the hotel was kept free for guests, and I still got to the airport on time. One man, no security. Handled. What's your problem?" he wrote.

The original video showed the New Zealand-born actor issuing a direct warning to those in the crowd holding posters and DVDs to be signed.

"Are you listening?" he says in the clip. "Stay where you are. Don't f**king push in on me, I'll come to you. Give everybody space. As soon as somebody's a d**k, I'm going. You got me? Clear?"

After writing his autograph on one poster, a fan can be heard asking Crowe if he could also sign "Maximus" - the name of his character in Gladiator - and he curtly declines. The video ends soon after the exchange.

The 62-year-old was in France to attend the French Open tennis tournament on Sunday, during which he caught a stray ball.