Russell Crowe has had it a little rough lately.

The Gladiator actor made some controversial remarks about women in Hollywood trying to play roles they are too old for.

Russell Crowe said about reprising his role in that movie, “I’m too old. I can’t be the gladiator anymore. I’m playing parts that are appropriate to my age.”

He’s 50. Yeah, I was a little surprised.

Crowe continued, “The best thing about the industry I’m in — movies — is that there are roles for people in all different stages of life. To be honest, I think you’ll find that the woman who is saying that [the roles have dried up] is the woman who at 40, 45, 48, still wants to play the ingénue, and can’t understand why she’s not being cast as the 21-year-old.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJzEqcEpMzE

Ouch.

He then added, “Meryl Streep will give you 10,000 examples and arguments as to why that’s bulls—, so will Helen Mirren, or whoever it happens to be.”

Turns out, he was correct in his assumption that the great Meryl Streep would have his back.

The actress supported Russell Crowe’s statements at a press conference on Tuesday, saying, “The Russell Crowe thing, I’m so glad you asked. I read what he said — all of what he said. It’s been misappropriated, what he was talking about. He was talking about himself. The journalist asked him, ‘Why don’t you do another Gladiator, you know, everybody loved that.’ He said, ‘I’m too old. I can’t be the gladiator anymore. I’m playing parts that are appropriate to my age.’ Then the conversation went on to actresses. So that was proving a point, that he was talking about himself, as most actors do.”

She added, “That aside, I agree with him. It’s good to live in the place where you are… You can put old age on. It’s a lot harder to take it off.”

Interesting to see how the ladies of Hollywood are dividing over Russell Crowe’s statements. What is your opinion?