Russell Crowe displays a fuller physique on Atlanta movie set with Nicole Kidman amid claims 'he asked reporter to kill Harvey Weinstein sex scandal story'

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Russell Crowe was looking much fuller on the Atlanta, Georgia set of his new movie Boy Erased on Tuesday.

The Australian actor, 53, had a noticeable paunch as he prepared for a scene with co-star Nicole Kidman, who looked very different in her blonde wig and leopard print top.

This is the first time Crowe has been seen since Sharon Waxman claimed in a post shared on The Wrap that the star, along with Matt Damon, called her in 2004 to get a sex scandal story killed that she was writing about movie executive Harvey Weinstein.

At work: Russell Crowe was seen preparing for a scene for his film Boy Erased in Atlanta, Georgia with a crew person on Tuesday

More of Russell: The Australian actor looked fuller than usual as he wore a blue shirt and khakis while holding what looked to be part of a script

Friends: Crowe was accused of calling Sharon Waxman in 2004 when she was at The New York Times and asking her to kill a story that had to do with Harvey Weinstein and a sex scandal; Harvey worked on Master And Commander for Weinstein - here they are pictured in 2005

Russell has yet to react to Waxman's accusation, though on Tuesday Damon said he never saw any bad behavior on Harvey's part.

'My experience with him was all above board and that’s what I told her,' said Damon.

 Russel is seen here for the poster for Master And Commander

'I just remember it being a negative piece, a hit job on Fabrizio. Harvey said, you worked with him. Can you tell her that he was a professional and you had a good experience, and that was it. I didn’t mind doing it, because that was all true.'

Damon told Deadline the events of the past week had come as a complete shock.

'I did five or six movies with Harvey. I never saw this. I think a lot of actors have come out and said, everybody’s saying we all knew. That’s not true', he said.

'If there was ever an event that I was at and Harvey was doing this kind of thing and I didn’t see it, then I am so deeply sorry, because I would have stopped it. And I will peel my eyes back now, father than I ever have, to look for this type of behavior.'E 

His best friend Ben Affleck has condemned the producer and said the allegations made him 'sick.' 

As of Tuesday, Rose McGowan, Asia Argento, Mira Sorvino, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, among others, have said they were harassed by Weinstein. 

Taking his time: Russell has yet to react to Waxman's accusation, though Damon told Deadline on Tuesday he didn't see any wrongdoing on Harvey's part

Heavy subject: Boy Erased is based on Garrard Conley's book about a son of a baptist preacher who is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program

On Monday Kidman released a statement to People about Weinstein. She had worked with Harvey on Lion, Nine, Cold Mountain and The Others. 

'As I've stated before publicly, I support and applaud all women and these women who speak out against any abuse and misuse of power — be it domestic violence or sexual harassment in the workforce. We need to eradicate this behavior,' she wrote.

Kidman played an abused wife in this year's Big Little Lies, which earned her an Emmy award. 

Boy Erased is based on Garrard Conley's book about a son of a baptist preacher who is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program.

His old pal: Meanwhile, Kidman wore a bright blonde wig that cut off at her shoulders. She was almost unrecognizable in her non designer clothing

Gay conversion therapy has grown increasingly controversial in the late 20th century as mainstream health and medical groups have rejected the underlying assumptions that LGBTQ people need to or can change their sexuality.

On the set of his new film in Atlanta, Crowe wore a pale blue button down shirt that pulled at the sides and a colorful tie with khaki slacks and a belt. He also wore his hair longer and had on prescription glasses.

Crowe held what looked like a script in his hand and was spotted on a lawn outside a brick building as he focused on preparing for his next scene.

So VIP: . The wife of Keith Urban had an umbrella handler shield her from sprinkles

Meanwhile, Kidman wore a blonde wig that cut off at her shoulders. She was almost unrecognizable in her non designer clothing. The wife of Keith Urban had an umbrella handler shield her from sprinkles.

The beauty smiled away as if she was having a good time on set. 

The film also stars Joel Edgerton (who also directs), Flea, Cherry Jones, Jason Davis and Emily Hinkler.

Harvey gave her this role: On Monday Kidman released a statement to People about Weinstein. She had worked with Harvey on Lion, Nine (pictured), Cold Mountain and The Others. 'As I've stated before publicly, I support and applaud all women and these women who speak out against any abuse and misuse of power'

It looks as if Crowe will at some point have to address Waxman's claims that he were instrumental in killing her story.

Weinstein victim Rose McGowan lashed out at Damon on Monday,and Crowe could be next.

'Hey @Mattdamon what’s it like to be a spineless profiteer who stays silent?' wrote McGowan hours after calling on the entire board at Weinstein Company to step down for being complicit in covering up the executive's actions.

McGowan also acknowledged a few of Damon's similarly tongue-tied pals, tweeting: 'Ben Affleck Casey Affleck, how’s your morning boys?'

Ben has since released a statement slamming Weinstein's behavior. 

Best of buds: Waxman said Damon also called her in 2004 about Weinstein (Damon and Weinstein above in 2005); he said he was only defending another executive

Lashing out: Weinsten victim Rose McGowan responded to this by tweeting: 'Hey @Mattdamon what’s it like to be a spineless profiteer who stays silent?' (above)

Waxman said in her piece that Damon and Crowe called her after she managed to get multiple sources stating on the record that an Italian man being paid $400,000 by the company knew little about film and was better known for the 'evenings he organized with Russian escorts.'

The Wrap founder Waxman (pictured on October 3)

She was working for The New York Times at the time. 

The story was ultimately killed despite Waxman's findings at the time. 

Reps for both Crowe and Damon did not respond to requests for comment. 

At the center of the story was a man who worked as the head of Miramax Italy, but who had no film experience. 

Miramax, which was founded by Weinstein and his brother Bob in 1979, was still being run by the brothers at that team even though in 1993 they had sold to Disney.

Multiple sources told Waxman that Fabrizio Lombardo, who headed up Miramax Italy, was actually put on the payroll to help procure women for Weinstein, and that was the reason for his $400,000 in the one-year span between 2003 and 2004 when he worked for the company.

Waxman also tracked down a woman in London who said she had been paid off after an unwanted sexual encounter with Weinstein.

She revealed however that while the reporting was going well, she began to hit a different road block once Weinstein learned that the Times was working on a negative story.

That is when the executive got to work trying to kill the story, using Damon and Crowe to help him by vouching for Lombardo. 

The story centered on Fabrizio Lombardo, who was head of Miramax Italy for less than a year between 2003 and 2004. Multiple sources told Waxman that Lombardo was put on the payroll to procure women for Weinstein (the two pictured above in 2007)

The two men both appeared in Miramax films produced by Weinstein around that time - Damon in The Brothers Grimm (2005) and Crowe in Master And Commander (2003). 

Damon and his lifelong pals Ben and Casey Affleck all owe their careers to Weinstein in many ways thanks to his championing of Good Will Hunting.

Waxman wrote the she was ultimately told that Weinstein made a visit to the Times newsroom, where he met with people 'above my head' to 'make his displeasure known.'

Miramax was a big advertiser in the paper at the time as well, and used that to help get the story killed according to Waxman. 

In the end, her editors decided against publishing the accusations. 

'The story was stripped of any reference to sexual favors or coercion and buried on the inside of the Culture section, an obscure story about Miramax firing an Italian executive. Who cared?' Waxman recalled.