Friendship with Cruise led me to look into Scientology: Crowe

Los Angeles: "Man of Steel" actor Russell Crowe has revealed he began looking into highly-talked religion Scientology when he was hanging out with fellow actor Tom Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman.

Crowe, 51, said his parents opted not to baptize him so that he could explore his own beliefs, reported People magazine.

"From a young kid, I was quite interested in religion. When I met Tom Cruise when he was married to Nicole Kidman, we were spending a bit of time together so I thought I'd find out a little bit about what he was into," Crowe said.

The "Noah" actor said he then began his own research. "I found a video in the video store about Scientology and I watched it. It wasn't that informative. But I brought it up with Tom and I thought he was really cool. "He didn't try to sell me a pair of shoes. He just said, 'If it's something that interests you, you'll pursue it.' And I think that happens with any kind of religion if you come to it by your own discovery."

But Crowe never ended up joining the Church of Scientology, in contrary to a recent report that named him a member. "I never ended up putting my two cents down on anybody's table. I've never graced Scientology's doorway," he said.