Russell Crowe accepts Golden Globe with message about the Aussie fires

Russell Crowe picked up the second statue of the evening at the 2019 Golden Globes, but he wasn't there to actually pick it up.

The Australian actor, as presenter Jennifer Aniston told the audience in a slightly shaky voice, was at home protecting his family, rather than in Hollywood to see if he won Best Actor In A Limited Series for playing the late Fox News boss Roger Ailes in The Loudest Voice.

"He sent this statement in case he won," Aniston said:

"Make no mistake. The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based. 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."

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Crowe's family home in Nana Glen, near Coffs Harbour in the hard-hit state of New South Wales, was burning as early as November, as the annual fire season kicked off ominously early.

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While Crowe didn't call out Scott Morrison by name, the Australian Prime Minister has been the target of many Australians' anger throughout the bushfire crisis, defensive over his delayed response to and bungled handling of the immediate emergency, and ignoring early warnings from experts.

On Sunday Morrison insisted that his government has "always" acknowledged the link between a heating world and worse disasters like the fires despite denying the link just a few weeks ago.

Crowe may have had other priorities on Globes night, but he took this opportunity to use his voice as loudly as possible.