Los Angeles, May 27 : Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, who had a heated exchange with fans outside a hotel after a video of the encounter went viral, has defended his position.

The actor, 62, was filmed interacting with fans who approached him for autographs as he left a hotel in Paris, France. The video shows the actor giving them a warning and threatening he would be "gone" if anyone acted like a "d***".

The actor said, "Are you listening? Stay where you are. Donâ??t f****** push in on me. Iâ??ll come to you. Give everybody space. As soon as somebodyâ??s a d***, Iâ??m gone. You got me? Clear?".

The video sparked intense debate online about the actorâ??s treatment of fans and the Oscar-winner has now weighed in on the controversy by insisting he was able to successfully set boundaries without requiring any help from "security".

He took to his X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, "Clickbait. Everybody got their autograph and selfie, the passage to the hotel was kept free for guests, and I still got to the airport on time. One man, no security. Handled. Whatâ??s your problem?".

The actor was in France with his girlfriend Britney Theriot and they were spotted attending the opening day of the French Open tennis championship on Sunday.

The actor has denied plans to marry again after rumours claimed the couple were engaged. The actor, who was earlier married to Australian singer-actress Danielle Spencer before their 2018 divorce, brushed aside the engagement speculation and joked he has no intention of â??ruiningâ?? his â??joyful and happyâ?? relationship with his partner by getting married.

During an appearance on Sunday's 60 Minutes, he said, "All these reports coming out that Britney and I are engaged and I'm going to get married again? No. My life is joyous and happy, why ruin that with a wedding? ... We respect each other and wake up with a smile, and we are very happyâ??.

/IANS