Rabbitoh Gladiator Russell Crowe’s celebrity cameo as the voice-over behind a slick advertisement for Labor leader Anthony Albanese has become the hottest mystery of the election since the glossy video aired ahead of Albo’s address at the party’s campaign launch in Perth on Sunday.
While Labor insiders were happy to confirm that it was the Oscar winner who provided the narration to the stirring promo and that the South Sydney Rabbitohs co-owner had stepped up as a personal favour to his fellow Bunnies fanatic, they were less responsive to questions regarding how the whole high profile encounter had come about.
Thankfully, the Oscar winner was more expansive when the Herald’s indefatigable ball chaser Adam Pengilly got him on the blower.
‘‘I’ve known Anthony for more than 20 years. He is a life member of South Sydney and as loyal and passionate as you can get,’’ the actor said. ‘‘In the entire time I’ve known him, he’s never asked me for anything. He asked me if I’d lend my voice to the idea ‘we can do things better’, and I said yes.’’
It’s not the first time the Souths Solidarity between the pair has shone through in the political game. Crowe notably backed Albo back in 2013 when he squared off against Bill Shorten in a race for the party leadership.
That time, the turbo masculine acting-singing double threat (Remember Les Miserables?) invited Albanese to his box at ANZ Stadium at a Friday night footy match to watch his Rabbitohs win.
‘‘He wished me the best of luck,’’ Albo said after the game and the night before the ALP’s national executive sat down to decide on a voting process for the leadership. But Shorten won out for the leadership securing 52 per cent of the vote over Albanese. Both the politico and Rusty will be hoping for a different result this time.
