Russell Brand Says Sex Was Big Reason Why He Wanted to Become Famous

Russell Brand says sex is a big reason why he wanted to be famous in the first place ... and he claims he would never have sex with someone without their consent.

The British actor and comedian just went on a long rant on his Rumble show, "Stay Free with Russell Brand," doubling down on his denial of rape and sexual assault charges against him in London.

Russell notes the charges all stem from alleged incidents from 1999 to 2004 ... and he says back then he must have been "captured by some kind of darkness" because his life was all about sex, drugs and alcohol.

Brand says back in the day he was "out there having sex with everyone" ... he claims women were throwing themselves at him because of his fame and he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in endless pleasure.

Russell, who is now sober, says consent is the name of the game for him though ... and just because he was having lots of sex at the time doesn't mean he was raping or sexually assaulting anyone.