Russell Crowe `mellows` with age

Russell Crowe`s wife Danielle Spencer says the Hollywood star is "passionate, creative and complicated".

The 46-year-old actor has developed a reputation for being difficult to work with and has had run-ins with paparazzi and hotel staff. Russell has previously insisted he doesn?t believe he has an aggressive personality and feels he is often misunderstood.

Danielle has two young sons with Russell, Charlie, six, and three-year-old Tennyson, and while she admits the actor can lose his temper sometimes, she has revealed becoming a father has calmed his temperament.

"You know, he can be a volatile person," she said in an interview with The Sunday Times magazine. "He`s passionate, creative and complicated. I think he`s learnt a little bit, but all of that makes him the person he is. I don`t think I would want to change him. I think he`s having a natural progression from the person he is now as opposed to the person he was a few years ago.

"It`s sort of silly to say he has been tamed. He`s a guy who now has two kids. He`s married and a little bit older. People naturally mellow a little bit when they have children and have that responsibility."

Russell and Danielle, an Australian singer, met while filming The Crossing in 1990. They married in 2003, on Russell`s 39th birthday.

Danielle is known for being straight-talking and in control of her emotions, while Russell is often described as overly sensitive. The pair are happier than ever together and while it has been claimed Danielle is the boss of the relationship, she insists their marriage is an equal partnership.

"Did he say I am the boss? Let`s just say we`re both strong-willed, and I don`t look at anyone being boss.

"Simple things make me happy. I don`t need grand pleasures. A lovely meal. A DVD. I love reading. I love walking. I have to say some of my happiest times in life have been eating and finding absolute happiness."

sections: Celebrities