Russell Crowe recalls Nicole Kidman’s crude Aussie slang prank on Jay Leno
Russell Crowe has spilled the beans on a hilarious prank Nicole Kidman once pulled on an unsuspecting TV host.
Nicole Kidman may have pulled off the greatest television prank of all time — and it’s taken years for anyone to realise.
The Australian Oscar-winning actress known for her elegance and poise once fooled late night talk show host Jay Leno into using a very crude Aussie slang term several times on his show, unbeknown to the US star, who had no idea what it meant.
So crude, some may be surprised to learn it’s in Kidman’s vocabulary at all.
RELATED: Russell Crowe is Unhinged in new trailer
RELATED: Russell Crowe schools Americans in Aussie slang
After convincing the host that “crack a fat” meant something far more innocent than its true meaning (relating to male arousal), Kidman was left in a fit of giggles each time Leno casually dropped the phrase during their chat many years ago, according to close friend of the star Russell Crowe.
Crowe recalled the hilarious feat in a Vanity Fair interview this week while sharing some of his own often-misunderstood Aussie and Kiwi slang words used in Hollywood.
“She said it (‘crack a fat’) and Jay kept repeating it over and over again, and Nicole realised the hole she’d dug herself into,” Crowe explained.
“Jay kept saying things like, ‘We’ll be right back after this break to crack a fat with Nicole Kidman!’ And that sent Nicole into giggles.”
Crowe and Kidman have long been close friends in the showbiz industry, having met in Sydney many years ago when Crowe apparently did a “shoey” at a party the Big Little Lies actress threw (a shoey, for those not versed in Aussie slang, is the act of drinking an alcoholic beverage from someone else’s shoe).
“It was at a house party that I threw in Darlinghurst with my then-boyfriend,” Kidman, 53, told News Corp in 2018 of meeting Crowe.
“There were about 500 people at that party. Can you believe it, my wild past?” she said, adding: “Russell drank champagne out of my shoe.”
She went on to say their friendship blossomed when they both began working in the US.
I have an enormous amount of love and affection for him because we have been friends literally our whole life. It’s an admirable thing when you forge your way through, decade after decade.”
The two appeared in their first film together in 2018, Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased.
Speaking to Vanity Fair this week, Crowe, 55, gave Americans a lesson in our “sweet as” slang Down Under, from “budgie smugglers” to “jandals”.
Crowe is currently on a press run for his upcoming psychological thriller Unhinged, to be released in cinemas July 16 through StudioCanal.
It follows the story of a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, taking something we’ve all experienced — road rage — to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion
‘Rich legacy’: Aussie TV icon dies aged 85
An icon of Australian television who starred in two of Australia’s biggest dramas and was a devoted teacher of the arts has died.
‘Scary’: Friends star’s shock confession
David Schwimmer – best known as Ross from the beloved series – has revealed a harrowing detail about his time on the show.
Friends star finds secret note from Perry
Lisa Kudrow recently made a bittersweet discovery, more than a year on from her beloved co-star’s death.