Russell Crowe was not be in attendance for the 2020 Golden Globes.
The Noah actor, 55, instead opted to stay in his native Australia, due to the wildfires that are devastating the country, Variety reported on Sunday, January 5.
The New Zealand-born star, who grew up in Australia, won Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture for TV for playing Roger Ailes in the Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice.
“Make no mistake, the tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change based,” he said in a statement read by Jennifer Aniston during the awards show. “We need to act based on science. Move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is. That way, we all have a future. Thank you.”
Crowe later took to Instagram and wrote, “Thanks to the @goldenglobes . What a cast I got to work with. Naomi Watts, @annabellewallis Sienna Miller, Aleksa Palladino @joshstamberg @macfarlaneseth Simon McBurney and everybody else. They created a complete world. Their commitment, sensitivity and courage was inspiring.” He shared the message alongside a video of his firetruck.
The Oscar winner has donated to the relief fund, sharing a photo of himself handing over an envelope of checks to the captain of NSW Rural Fire Service in November 2019.
“So… delivered 19 cheques to RFS Captain John Lardner, a total of $105k because I cant count apparently, haha all good,” the actor tweeted at the time.
Crowe raised $400,000 for the NSW Rural Fire Service by auctioning off one of his old South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league caps — he owns the team.
At least 200 bushfires raging across the country have burned more than 16 million acres and destroyed more than 1,300 homes. The Gladiator actor revealed that his multimillion-dollar 560-acre property at Nana Glen was “scorched” in the fires in November.
On December 25, The Nice Guys star shared a photo of his property after the fires writing, “Christmas morning. 7 weeks since the fire went through here. Would normally be a wall of green. We’ve had rain here now. In a few days the paddocks will be lush.”
The fires have killed at least 23 people with dozens missing. More than half a billion animals, including kangaroos and koalas, are estimated to have perished, with animal hospitals inundated with injured wildlife. Terri and Bindi Irwin revealed that several animals are being cared for at the hospital at Australia Zoo, which has treated 90,000 animals since it opened in 2004.
Crowe’s friends and fellow Golden Globes nominee Nicole Kidman announced on Saturday, January 4, that she and husband Keith Urban were donating $500,000 to the firefighters as the Big Little Lies star attended an event in Beverly Hills in tears over the threat of damage to her country home in Australia.
“Our family’s support, thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires all over Australia,” they wrote on Instagram. “We are donating $500,000 to the Rural Fire Services who are all doing and giving so much right now. Pink also donated $500,000 to bushfire relief and other celebrities have offered support.
The Golden Globes airs live on Sunday, January 5, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
