Hugh Jackman admits he 'owes' Russell Crowe his career

He may play the aloof, loner Wolverine but Hugh Jackman has paid tribute to one of his closest friends - Russell Crowe.

The Aussie actors have been friends for over two decades and the Logan star recently admitted that he ‘owed’ his career to Crowe with a touching post on Instagram.

It’s not the first time Jackman has spoken about his A-List mates on social media, as the actor has a notorious ‘rivalry’ with Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds.

Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo

As the pair gear up for the release of the third film next year, Jackman has made several jibs at Reynolds - who plays the motor-mouthed merk Deadpool.

Back in February, the Van Helsing star taunted his co-star by showing off his jacked muscles (see what I did there?) as he reprises his role as the mutant Wolverine.

Showing off his insanely buff bod, Jackman wrote in the caption: “He’s only 46. I’m older. But it’s not a competition.”

Even this week, the Aussie actor has been ripping into his Deadpool co-star as he shared a picture of a street sign on social media which read: ‘Hugh King Alley’.

Tagging Reynolds in the Instagram story, he declared that the picture was ‘just for you’ in the tongue-in-cheek post about their relentless ribbing.

However, it seems that Reynolds isn’t the only one in a long-running bromance with Jackman.

Instagram/ Hugh Jackman

The Wolverine actor paid tribute to his friend and Gladiator star Russell Crowe earlier this week with a touching tribute.

It’s after Crowe recently revealed that he’d recommend Jackman for the role in the Marvel franchise – not knowing it would make the actor a household name.

Speaking on Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Crowe admitted that he’d originally been approached for the 2000 film but felt he didn’t look like the iconic character.

He then admitted that he’d recommend Jackman for the role, telling host Josh Horowitz: “Yeah, but I also suggested him for [Wolverine], too. You know, because look, they show me art and stuff like that, and it’s like it doesn’t look like me. But, I’ll tell you who it looks like, it looks like Hugh Jackman.”

Instagram/ Hugh Jackman

Nearly 25 years after the first X Men film, Jackman continues to star as the beloved mutant and thanked his friend by sharing a clip from the interview on social media.

In the caption, he thanked the actor and wrote: “There’s countless ways [Russell Crowe] has helped me behind the scenes. He’s a good man and a great friend.”