Greg Inglis has reflected on the hilarious first phone call he received from Hollywood actor and South Sydney Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe, admitting he repeatedly hung up on the Oscar winner.
Inglis joined the Rabbitohs ahead of the 2011 NRL season after spending the first six years of his career with the Melbourne Storm, with Crowe playing a key role in helping lure the superstar to Redfern.
Speaking on The Circus podcast, the former Queensland and Australian representative was reminded of the hype surrounding his signing.
"When you signed with the Bunnies, Russell Crowe is talking to Jay Leno about the contract that they've just signed you on, and he's basically described it as signing LeBron James," co-host Ian Higgins said.
Crowe has owned a 25 per cent stake in the Rabbitohs since 2006 and was heavily involved in recruiting Inglis to the club, although the former fullback admitted he was initially reluctant to even speak with the Academy Award-winning actor.
"I didn't want to meet Russell, Gladiator is my all-time favourite movie. My all-time favourite movie. I didn't want to meet him," Inglis said on meeting Crowe.
"You know, it's like don't meet your heroes, that's what kept playing through in the back of my mind."
Rather than answering Crowe's calls, Inglis said he simply dismissed them as another practical joke from former boxing world champion Anthony Mundine.
"(Crowe) called me a few times, but I hung up on him," he laughed.
"Anthony Mundine rings me up, and he goes, 'Oi, Russell's going to ring you, you gotta come to Souths,'. And I was like, nah that's bull.
"Then he rings up, in his Russell Crowe voice, and I was like, 'Beat it, Choc (Mundine) and hung up.
"They played jokes on me all the time, so I hung up on him. He goes to me, 'Oi, brah, you need to answer I am telling you it's Russell; please just answer.' I go, 'I need proof' and then he sends a photo of him and Russell sitting there."
Despite Crowe's celebrity status, Inglis said it wasn't the chance to work alongside a Hollywood actor that ultimately convinced him to join the Rabbitohs.
Instead, it was Crowe's vision for transforming the club's heartland and investing in the local community that sealed the deal.
"What really got me to South's wasn't because of Russell, it was because of what he did in the community," he said.
"He had a big vision. Redfern had a bad wrap in the community, then when how about we just tidy it up and remove all the bad habits people have. That's what got me there, it's not a Hollywood actor putting money into a club, he was talking about investment and time."
