Mel Gibson is a renowned actor and director who is known for delivering numerous incredible films, both nationally and internationally. Indeed Gibson has a glamourous career, but the controversies created by the actor throughout can’t be overlooked.
Undoubtedly, Gibson is an incredible actor, but his loose tongue has often left him in trouble. One such incident also led to his arrest. However, years later the actor opened up about it, just to deny it all. The actor also expressed his frustration with the repetition of his controversy in the media.
Mel Gibson reflected on his 2006 arrest
While Mel Gibson is a renowned actor, the controversies created by him are no secret as well. In 2006, the actor was arrested on charges of making anti-Semitic remarks. According to the arrest report (via Los Angeles Times), Gibson once said,
“The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world!”
However, a decade later, the actor did open up about the incident and defended himself. During an episode of Variety‘s “Playback” podcast, when the actor was asked about the impact of the incident on his reputation in the film industry, he said,
“It was an unfortunate incident. I was loaded and angry and arrested. I was recorded illegally by an unscrupulous police officer who was never prosecuted for that crime. And then it was made public by him for profit, and by members of — we’ll call it the press. So, not fair. I guess as who I am, I’m not allowed to have a nervous breakdown, ever.”
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Though the actor has previously acknowledged and apologized for his controversial remark, even he got frustrated at a point when the media perpetually brought up this topic. During the same podcast, Gibson said,
“Ten years have gone by. I’m feeling good. I’m sober, all of that kind of stuff, and for me, it’s a dim thing in the past. But others bring it up, which kind of I find annoying because I don’t understand why after 10 years it’s any kind of issue. Surely if I was really what they say I was, some kind of hater, there’d be evidence of actions somewhere. There never has been.”
What Gibson said years ago cannot be taken back, but the actor is guilty of his behavior, and he even claimed to be a better person since then.
Mel Gibson defended himself after the incident
After facing backlash from the public for a long time, Mel Gibson’s career was affected severely. Acknowledging that the actor tried to defy his perceived image before the audience and asserted that he wasn’t the person people thought him to be.
He further defended his past behavior by claiming that what he did at that point did not define him as a person, as he was under the influence of alcohol. He said,
“I’ve never discriminated against anyone or done anything that sort of supports that reputation,” the actor/director said. “And for one episode in the back of a police car on eight double tequilas to sort of dictate all the work, life’s work and beliefs and everything else that I have and maintain for my life is really unfair.”
Subsequently, Gibson managed to regain his reputation among fans and secured some iconic roles in films like The Expendables 3, Hacksaw Ridge, and most recently, On the Line.
Source: Variety
