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Russell Crowe - Source: Reuters -
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There are some things in life you can just count on. No matter the season or the circumstance, they never change. Year in, year out, they're constant.
Russell Crowe is one of these things - a man who ages, but never matures.
Sure, he claims to have settled down. He's moved on from the days of biffo in the bathroom.
But Crowe throws a tantrum better than any two-year-old I know - and this week, he struck again.
The best thing about this particular tantrum was its banal beginnings. The interviewer asked a completely innocuous question - a casual conversation point - and Crowe stormed out .
For those who missed it, a BBC radio host (and Englishman) said to Crowe he sensed a touch of Irish in Crowe's Robin Hood accent.
Crowe said the man was mad. Needed his ears checked. And - after a few more choice words - walked out.
All this was said in Crowe's gruff Aussie accent.
Argument may rage over Crowe's origins - is he a Kiwi, is he an Aussie? (Frankly, who cares? He's a petulant child who I certainly wouldn't want to babysit.)
But at no point, has anyone ever claimed he is English. So if an Englishman thinks he heard a trace of Irish in his accent, I'd say he's entitled to that opinion.
Most people would laugh it off and move on. But not Mr Crowe.
Instead he reminded us all, once again, of his spectacular lack of humility. And humour.
The silly thing is, just prior to this outburst, I had been thinking how far Crowe had come. Having never been a fan of the actor, I really quite liked him in Robin Hood. I was beginning to see his appeal.
Then he did this.
No incident better reflects his behaviour issues than this story by Australian writer Jack Marx .
If ever you needed proof Crowe is little more than an attention-seeking toddler, this is it.
Marx's tale describes how Crowe hired him as his stooge - to champion his music to the media.
It is fascinating reading - and an extraordinary insight into Crowe's world and mind. Beautiful, it is not.
You would think after this particular plot backfired, Crowe might have learned to leave the media be, to make his films and ignore the bad press, to develop a sense of humour - and a thick skin.
But no. The BBC incident simply proves Crowe will never change.
He is one of life's constants - death, taxes and Russell Crowe.
Read more of Joanna Hunkin's articles.
