Al Qaeda planned to kidnap Russell Crowe when "Gladiator" was released, in a bid to "culturally destabilise" the US, Sky News reported.

The New Zealand-born star was contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2001. He admitted: "That was the first time I'd ever heard the phrase Al Qaeda."

"It was about - and here's another little touch of irony - taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as sort of a cultural destabilisation plot."

The "A Beautiful Mind" star was reportedly protected by the FBI on later film shoots and at events like the Golden Globe awards.

"I never fully understood what the (bleep) was going on. Suddenly it looks like I think I'm (bleep) Elvis Presley, because everywhere I go there are all these FBI guys."