Rebel Wilson: Russell Crowe told me to f*ck off

'Bridesmaids' star Rebel Wilson has told how she found herself on the receiving end of Russell Crowe's notorious temper.

The Australian actress was the target for a sweary rebuke when she approached her countryman in a restaurant while he was dining with Nicole Kidman.

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But little did Crowe know that she had a slightly more valid reason for introducing herself than your average autograph hunter.

“I won the Nicole Kidman Scholarship and I got to go to New York to study comedy,” she told Jay Leno on 'The Tonight Show'.

“And Nicole Kidman paid for everything. Like an apartment, going to see Broadway shows... she doesn't know about that!

“So one time in Sydney, I saw her having dinner with Russell Crowe and I go: 'OK, now's my chance! I'm going to say thank you.'

“I went up to them, but before I could say anything, Russell Crowe just turns to me and says: 'F**k off! F**k off!' so I just put my head down and walked away. But... thanks Nicole! It's a true story.”

Kidman is a patron of the Australian Theatre for Young People, and helps to fund the early careers of young actors.

Asked by Leno what might happen if she met Crowe again now, she said: “Maybe I'll go up to him and he'll just turn to me and go... 'F**k off!' Maybe.”