Aaron Taylor-Johnson recently shared his experience of receiving an unexpected gift from Russell Crowe after completing their work on the film, Kraven the Hunter.
During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday (December 10), Taylor-Johnson humorously mentioned that he was anticipating a $500,000 Patek Philippe watch from Crowe, especially after hearing about the wrap presents Crowe had given to other co-stars.
Both Taylor-Johnson and Crowe are featured in the action movie, which is slated for release in theaters later this week.
The film tells the origin story of Sergei Kravinoff (played by Taylor-Johnson) and how he transforms into Kraven, the renowned hunter, following a life-altering encounter with a lion.
Discussing his experience on set, Taylor-Johnson shared insights on working alongside Crowe.
“He was cool, though. He was amazing. He gave everybody amazing wrap gifts,” he remarked.
“One day, he said, ‘come to me, son. Come. Sit next to me. Look at this watch’.
“I was like, ‘Whoa! That’s an incredible prop.’ He went, ‘No, this not prop. This real thing.’”
Taylor-Johnson hinted at the possibility of Crowe passing the watch down, drawing a parallel to their father-son roles in the movie.
He added: “[I] said, ‘They say, Papa, you never really own a Patek Phillipe, you merely look after it for the next generation’.
“I was pretty quick! And I am the older son.”
Recalling the impressive gifts Crowe gave to other cast members, Taylor-Johnson hoped the watch might be for him.
“Young Sergei [Levi Miller], he’s given him a wad of cash, like over a grand’s worth of cash — changed this kid’s life. And the other kid, Dimitri [Billy Barratt], he loves him, he’s clearly got a soft spot for this kid because he’s into music and obviously Russell loves his music, so he gives him an electric guitar, like a Les Paul,” he shared.
“And so I think, ‘Okay, so the bar’s pretty high at this point.’”
However, it turned out the watch wasn’t Crowe’s to give, as it was only on loan.
When it came to his turn for a gift, Crowe offered Taylor-Johnson something priceless – a handshake.
“He comes over to me and he puts out his hand and I instantly notice there’s no watch. I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go,’” Taylor-Johnson recalled.
“And he goes, ‘It was really great working with you, mate.’
“But no, he’s a really good dude and he’s fantastic in the movie.”
Kraven the Hunter is set to debut in cinemas on December 13.