Russell Crowe turned heads at the 2025 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Friday when he showed off his recent weight loss transformation. Heading to the Gold Coast to host the 14th annual AACTA Awards, the actor debuted a slimmed down appearance as he took the stage at the Home of the Arts (HOTA).
Crowe returned to the to the AACTA stage, where he claimed his first AACTA wins in 1992 for Best Lead and Supporting actor for his work in Romper Stomper and Proof, looking dapper, and showing off his slimmer physique, in in a fitted black suit. Crowe wore a partially unbuttoned black shirt underneath his suit jacket. He completed the look with patent leather shoes, a gold designer watch, and a salt and pepper beard.
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The 60-year-old star’s slimmer appearance comes after sources claimed last year that Crowe was hoping to shed a few pounds before marrying Britney Theriot. The pair, who reportedly met on the set of Broken City in 2013, have been romantically linked since at least November 2020, and made their red carpet debut in October 2022. A source told RadarOnline in February 2024 that the “extra weight he’s carrying is hard on his body,” and while Crowe “is unapologetic about it… he’s agreed that it’s time to get healthier.” The source said at the time that the Academy Award-winning actor was “not going to go on some crazy diet,” but was planning “to just start eating healthier and work out every day.”
Crowe, who serves as AACTA president, was on hand Friday to host and also present the inaugural AACTA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in Screen to Australian music legend Paul Kelly, who performed his 1996 ballad “How to Make Gravy,” which inspired an original film of the same name released last year. Friday’s big winner was Netflix’s adaptation of Trent Dalton’s bestseller Boy Swallows Universe, which took home 12 of its record-breaking 22 nominations. Meanwhile, Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man scored nine wins, per The Guardian.
Outside of his Friday duties at the AACTA Awards, Crowe is currently back in Australia to film the upcoming action thriller Bear Country. Variety reported on Jan. 30 that the film is set to begin production this month. The New Zealand born star is set to star in the movie Manco Kapak, “a veteran club owner whose plans for a peaceful retirement with his girlfriend are derailed when a masked assailant robs his establishment.” The movie is based on Thomas Perry’s novel Strip and reunited Crowe with Unhinged director Derrick Borte.