Jonah Hill explains Aussie beach rescue drama

Jonah Hill has spoken out to dismiss reports he was rescued by lifeguards during a swim with Channing Tatum in Australia this week, insisting he didn't need saving from the water.

RELATED: Best Off-Season Beach Bodies

The funnyman jetted Down Under with his "21 Jump Street" co-star to promote the new movie, and shortly after landing, they headed to Tamarama Beach in Sydney.

However, their swim was interrupted when two lifeguards on surfboards ordered Hill back to shore after he swam out too far, and subsequent reports suggested he had been involved in a dramatic rescue.

RELATED: Stars Spend the Holidays in the Snow and Surf

Hill tells News.com.au, "I come to Australia and go for a swim at Tamarama. I look back and see Channing is like a mile behind me... he's really far away. Two guys on surfboards then come up to me and say, 'You shouldn't be out this far.' So I swim back to Channing and we get out of the water.

"The next day we hear, 'Oh, you had to be rescued by two guys yesterday.' This is like the worst rumor, that I'm some loser who had to be air-rescued. I was a mile out further than any of the locals. I was just being awesome. I was going to choke a shark on my thighs if it had come to it.

"We had a blast. ... We had been drinking a lot before we went out swimming. And we had just got off a 14-hour flight, so we were ready to go."

RELATED: Beach Cruising: Summer Stragglers