Russell Crowe reveals the two major movie roles he missed out on

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Russell Crowe has starred in a countless number of movies and won an Oscar, but the actor could have been even richer and more popular if he had said yes to roles in two very large movie franchises.

In an interview with Howard Stern on his radio show — "The Howard Stern Show" — on Wednesday, the 55-year-old opened up about why he passed on playing Aragorn in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film series and Wolverine in the "X-Men" franchise.

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"I didn't think [director] Peter Jackson actually wanted me on the film; I think he was forced into talking to me," Crowe confessed. "There was a moment in time where everybody wanted me in everything."

"And he's a fellow New Zealander; so I can hear his voice. I'm talking to him on the phone. And it's like, I don't think he even knows what I've done. My instinct was that he had somebody else in mind, which turned out to be Viggo Mortensen. And he should be allowed to hire the actor that he wants," he added.

Russell Crowe recently revealed the two major movie roles he missed out on. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images for AFI)

Stern mentioned how in the potential deal Crowe was offered 10 percent of the gross box office performance for "Lord of the Rings," which would have made him hundreds of millions of dollars since the franchise grossed more than $3 billion.

"Never thought about it," Crowe told Stern about the enormous payday. "Only in situations like interviews where people are polite and kind enough to add s--t up for me."

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Crowe also talked about passing on "Wolverine" — another blockbuster role which ultimately went to Hugh Jackman.

"There's no way I would have ever done that," Crowe admitted. "Even if I'd done the film, I wouldn't have carried it through with the grace and the direction that Hugh gave it."