Russell Crowe has launched a furious defense after rapper Azealia Banks revealed full details of her claims that he was racist and violent towards her.
In an explosive world exclusive interview, the singer told The Sun that actor Russell smoked marijuana and drank a cocktail of vodka, whiskey and moonshine before choking, spitting and calling her a “n—r” after she rejected his advances.
But Russell’s inner circle angrily deny he is a racist and insist she repeatedly used the N-word. And they say he was forced to grab Azealia in a bear hug and take her out of a party in his hotel room after she threatened to stab him and a female guest with a glass.
LAPD cops have already quizzed New Yorker Azealia about her version of the altercation on Saturday night at the gathering in Suite 117 of the Beverly Hills Hotel. They are now preparing to speak to the “Gladiator” actor.
The bust-up is the talk of Hollywood and could seriously damage Russell’s career if the allegations of racism and violence were proved.
Now Azealia, 25, has told The Sun of 52-year-old Aussie Russell: “I think he’s a racist, misogynist pig. This is a stain on me. My femininity feels stained. I feel stained as a woman, I feel mishandled, I feel mistreated, I feel dirty. I feel very f—king low.”
Azealia said she had been invited to the party in Russell’s hotel room by Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA, 47. “Prometheus” director Ridley Scott, Australian comedian Jim Jefferies and Swedish pop star Elliphant were among the guests in the private room.
Azealia said, “Russell had moonshine on the table, and then Russell calls for whiskey, so then they just start mixing them up. You know, moonshine, whiskey, vodka, and smoking cigarettes and smoking weed. Russell and I get next to each other. He’s talking to me, I’m talking to him, and we start flirting. We’re having a really good time. He’s got his knee on my knee, he’s touching my leg, I’m playing him my music, he tweets my song ‘The Big Big Beat.’”
“He’s like, ‘I love this, you’re beautiful, this is great.’ So the party goes on. But there was one girl who I guess was his girlfriend. She gets next to me and I guess this is just her chance to try and size me up and see what I’m about. And she’s in my ear and she’s like, ‘Yeah, Russell thinks you’re so hot.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, really? Well that’s on you girl.’ You know, I’m not here for that.”
But Azealia claims the mood shifted when she mocked another guest, an aspiring horror film maker.
She said, “Russell just kind of switched. He was like, ‘Well you know what? You’re young and you’ve never done anything in your career so you don’t know what you’re talking about.’”
“I’m a little offended but I was still keeping it light. I was like, ‘Your best days are behind you.’”
Azealia claims another woman then stepped in to defend Crowe.
She continued, “I said, ‘Girl, this is not the right time or place for us to be fighting, like what would happen if I got up and I slapped the s—t out of you, or I took a glass and f—king threw it at you and you were bleeding all over the place? I would be wrong and we’d all be wrong, and the party would be done.’”
She claims Russell then interrupted and used a racial slur against her before taking her out of the room.
“You don’t just spit on somebody. And in front of everybody.” Russell passionately denies any racism, violence or wrongdoing and says Azealia was the one who turned violent. He claims a female guest jumped to his defense and told Azealia to quieten down.
The “212” singer is then said to have launched into a N-word-filled speech in which she threatened, “You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino s—t.”
It was at this point she allegedly raised her glass as if to throw it, causing Russell to bear hug her and carry her out of the suite.
A source close to the actor said, “Azealia’s behavior that night was abrasive, shocking, rude, offensive, abusive and erratic. She used the N-word repeatedly and hurled that insult at others repeatedly. Russell never used that word. Azealia’s shocking and erratic behavior culminated in her lunging toward Russell and one of his guests and threatening to slice their throats. It was at that time that Russell put her in a bear hug and removed her from the suite, in protection of himself and his guests. Hotel security was called and she was escorted from the premises. She subsequently demanded an apology from Mr. Crowe and threatened to file a police report if she didn’t get it.”
In an article by US showbiz site TMZ, which Russell pointedly shared on Twitter, it was also claimed Banks was causing trouble as soon as she arrived, laughing at the actor’s music selection and calling him and another guest “boring white men.”
On Sunday, Azealia filed a police report of battery but no racism report as her reps claimed, “There is no charge for being called a racial slur once in the US.”
Sources say at least four witnesses for Russell are believed to have given statements to police, with all of them describing Azealia’s behaviour as “erratic”.
News of the incident first emerged on Sunday night when Azealia, who recently signed with celebrity management firm Raymani International, shared a series of since-deleted posts on her Facebook page.
Fellow guest Jim Jefferies has since leaped to Russell’s defense.
The comedian tweeted Russell’s account of the events, adding, “This is 100 percent the truth. I was there, she was out of control. Russell did absolutely nothing wrong. Azealia Banks is a complete liar. I was in the room. Russell Crowe is completely innocent. I would take a lie detector [test].”
In 2002 it was alleged Russell brawled with the owner of the New Zealand Warriors rugby team after making remarks about their color.
Meanwhile in May this year, Twitter closed Azealia’s account after she referred to ex-One Direction singer Zayn Malik as a “curry scented b—h.” She added, “Imma start calling you Punjab you dirty b—h.”
Sgt. Todd Withers of the Beverly Hills Police told The Sun, “There is a police report involving both parties — Azealia Banks and Russell Crowe. The report that was taken was an allegation of battery. It was made on Sunday and the case is now pending detective follow-up. It will be assigned to a detective and both parties will need to be spoken to.”
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