A week after it emerged his marriage was over, actor Russell Crowe has expressed his empathy for fathers who are separated from their children.
Last Monday it was revealed Crowe's wife of nine years, Danielle Spencer, had ended their marriage, from which the couple have two sons, 8-year-old Charles and 6-year-old Tennyson.
Crowe used his social media profile on Twitter to endorse a comment made by another father, screen writer Mark Staufer, by re-Tweeting Staufer's post, which said: "This morning I'm sending out positive connective energy to any dads who are separated from the kids they love."
Crowe has been apart from his sons for most of the year, with six new films on his slate and most recently shooting back-to-back blockbusters Les Miserables and Noah. He is currently in New York shooting the Darren Aronofsky-directed biblical epic.
Private Sydney previously revealed Crowe had made a quick trip back to Sydney to see his NRL team, the Rabbitohs, compete in the semi-finals last month.
It was during this trip that he took his sons on holiday to his farm at Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour. Locals remarked at the time it was unusual that the boys' mother had not joined them on the trip.
The couple's neighbours in Sydney also indicated that Crowe had remained at his $14 million Woolloomooloo apartment when he was in Sydney, while his wife and children remained in the $10 million Rose Bay home.
Last week Crowe wrote on Twitter how much he was "missing" the girl from Rose Bay.
Neither Crowe nor Spencer have made any more specific comments on the marriage breakdown, informing friends and family members over the past week that they both intend to "keep a dignified silence" for "the sake of their boys".
Crowe met Spencer when the two played lovers in the 1990 movie The Crossing.
They were married in 2003 in a lavish ceremony at Crowe's farm.
In recent months Crowe has been focusing on his fitness regime and American politics, posting daily updates on his workouts and expressions of support for President Obama, which appear to have landed him in hot water, Tweeting overnight: "Hey haters ... Every min u are harassing me is another min u are distracted from spewing hate at people who are less resolute. Haha, God bless."
His sense of humour also appears to remain intact, as noted in his Tweet about the beard he has been sporting to play Noah. Crowe wrote: "The beard will be gone mid November so, no, I'm not booking Christmas shows."
