Russell Crowe "was devastated" when he heard of Philip Seymour Hoffman's death.
The 'Noah' star revealed he regrets never getting to work with the late actor - who died from a drug overdose last month - and paid tribute to his "good friend".
He told the Mail On Sunday newspaper's Event magazine: "We never worked together and I would have loved to.
"He was a great bloke. We got along so well. Like everybody else I was devastated when I heard of his passing. He was a good friend."
Russell also opened up about aging and admitted he won't be celebrating his 50th birthday next month, saying he stopped enjoying the occasion once he turned 48.
He added: "You know, I was happy with every birthday up until I turned 48.
"For some reason there was something about 48 that I thought, 'Oh f**k that! I've gone beyond the pale'. It didn't sound like a happy age."
Now a proud father - with sons Charlie, 11, and Tennyson, seven, with ex-wife Danielle - the actor revealed the impact religion has had on his life.
He said: "I went to Sunday School and when I was older, I went to different churches - Anglican, Presbyterian, Catholic, I explored it all.
"I've had one of my boys baptised, Charlie, and we'll have Tennyson baptised in the future."
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