Russell Crowe wants 17 children.

The Australian actor - who has two sons with wife Danielle Spencer - has no intention of ending his family there, and is desperate to have a little girl.

He said: "I want 17 or so kids. I say to my wife, 'Imagine having a daughter! A little you running around!' She just smiles and nods and says 'Yeah, yeah... no.' "

Russell also revealed he is finding it tough to teach his four-year-old son Charlie the difference between right and wrong.

Speaking on US TV show 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien', Russell added: "I said, 'Bad boys become bad men, and you are going to be a good man Charlie Crowe. You're a part of me, you're from me, you are of me and you will be a good man.' Charlie paused, shook his head no, and then said something I found sublimely profound.

"He goes, 'I'm not from you dad, I'm the missing part of mommy, and Tennyson's the missing part of you.' I was just like, 'Dad's just got to have a little bit of a lie down.' It was so ridiculously accurate it just freaked me out, that he would pick up on that."