Russell Crowe was "surprised" by the "volume" of controversy surrounding ‘Noah’.
The Hollywood star hits the big screen as the titular character in the forthcoming film and although he anticipated criticism he didn’t expect it would go as far as it has.
The film has been banned in numerous countries, including Pakistan, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and the Middle East, among other places, because the governments of those countries believe it contradicts the teachings of Islam and some religious groups claim the story has been inaccurately portrayed.
Talking at the film’s premiere in London’s Leicester Square on Monday (31.03.14), he told BANG Showbiz: "I think when you go to a movie like this you understand that there is going to be a lot of … controversy.
"I was surprised by the volume of it. Because you are talking about people, who by and large, are making comments based on their imagination of what it might be in a movie that they haven’t seen. So it’s like, ‘what’?!"
The 49-year-old actor shot scenes on an Icelandic beach and kept finding small stones in unwanted places days after filming.
Crowe previously said: "That was pretty much all day lying around naked and they have these little stones, right, it’s kind of as the lava meets the sea and they get smoothed off and what have you… these stones get really round.
"It was like four days (after shooting the scene), you’re still getting dressed in the morning and these little stones are falling out and it’s like, ‘Where has that been for four days?’"
Director Darren Aronofsky, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone and
Logan Lerman all attended the film’s London premiere.
Russell Crowe ‘surprised’ by extent of Noah controversy
