Russell Crowe jokes about his massive beard

Russell Crowe displays his portly frame and bushy beard as he attends the "Gladiator in Concert" event with Connie Nielsen and Francesco Totti. June 6, 2018 (X17)

From "Gladiator" to Santa?

Russell Crowe has been looking unrecognizable lately thanks to his gigantic beard.

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The 54-year-old actor first debuted the look in June, but took to Twitter on Thursday to call even more attention to his facial hair.

“The actor prepares #3,” Crowe captioned a clip of himself grooming his gray beard.

Several hours later, Crowe posted a close-up shot of his gnarly scruff, tweeting, “What… this beard?”

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"The Mummy" star first debuted the look at a special screening of his hit film, "Gladiator," in Rome’s Colosseum last month. It’s unclear if the look is for a role or whether Crowe is simply enjoying some down time.

It was recently announced that the Oscar winner will be playing the late Fox News chief, Roger Ailes, in a new limited series for Showtime.

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Clearly he’ll have to shave the beard before taking on the role, as Ailes was clean shaven most of his life.

For more photos of Crowe, visit x17online.com.