Russell Crowe owes his Hollywood career to Sharon Stone.
The 56-year-old actor starred alongside the 62-year-old actress in the 1995 film 'The Quick and the Dead' and he feels that Sharon's determination to cast him in the flick gave him an opportunity to become a star in the US.
Speaking on chat show 'Late Night with Seth Meyers', Russell recalled: "It took me probably about 18 months or more, and literally hundreds and hundreds of meetings, before I actually got an American gig. I only got it because Sharon Stone had seen a movie I was in."
Crowe explained how the 'Basic Instinct' actress - who also produced 'The Quick and the Dead' - won a "sword fight" against the Western's male producers to cast him in the role of Cort, the love interest of her character The Lady.
The 'Gladiator' star said: "She was kind of in a sword fight with the male producers on the film. She just put her foot down and said, 'I'm going to hire the person I want to hire as the love interest.'
"If it wasn't for her strength of commitment, I don't know how long it might have been before I got an American movie. I've got a lot to thank her for."
