The sweeping historical epic tale of action and drama, Mel Gibson directed Braveheart appears to be the epitome of bollocks filmmaking. Trying hard to keep the biographical status of the Scottish national hero intact, the movie went way ahead of the factual base. However, Gibson stole the show as a strong and stirring warrior William Wallace, who delivered his impassioned speech, which by the way, fans believe he’s still shouting.
Appearing for an interview with DailyMail, Mel Gibson revealed how he felt a decade too old for his role in Braveheart. Mentioning his initial decision of being just the director, Gibson shared how he refrained from playing the lead. However, it was alleged, the 67-year-old simply took the role because of the ultimatum from Paramount Pictures.
Mel Gibson’s Braveheart Won Him Best Director Oscar
Considered epically wrong on several levels, Braveheart, directed and acted by Mel Gibson won the Oscars in 1996 for best direction. Highlighting the role of Scottish rebel William Wallace, and his battle against King Edward I of England, the movie is set on a historic backdrop. Further, the epic tale of action and drama is said to have the most accurate representation of Scots.
Portraying the lead role of William Wallace, Mel Gibson entertained his audience with sheer action sequences and battle cries. However, he failed to bring forth the factual accuracies. Focusing more on the epic storyline than the historical detail, Gibson delivered the role of a fearless fighter dedicated to his beloved country, with utmost passion.
Eventually arrested and brutally executed, William Wallace delivers his impassioned speech during the climax of Braveheart. Further, Wallace’s cry for “freedom” instead of seeking “mercy” brings out the grandeur of historic battles. Finally, the intricacies of the movie are highly praised despite its historical inaccuracies. Although one thing that bothers the audience is Mel Gibson playing the young lead, William Wallace.
Mel Gibson Envisioned A Younger Actor For The Lead Role
Since the role of William Wallace was based on a real-life hero, Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the character was a bit too much for his viewers. Even Gibson felt the same and tried to stick to the actual representation, to bring out the authenticity of the character. According to IMDb, the 67-year-old even attempted to cast a younger hero for the lead role.
Although Mel Gibson gave his best performance as William Wallace, he was notoriously aged for being a young rebel. According to DailyMail, Gibson wanted Jason Patric for the lead role of William Wallace. As the Scottish rebel was actually 28 when he died, the director/actor of Braveheart wished for Patric to do justice to the role. Gibson stated, “I was already ten years older than that, although at least my knees weren’t wrinkly!”
However, Mel Gibson’s initial decisions went into vain when Paramount Pictures intervened and insisted they would only finance the film if Gibson played the lead. Therefore adhering to the studios’ decision, the 67-year-old played the lead character, and eventually, the decision paid off. Gibson did his best at defining the role and build his acting career. While according to Moviefone, Braveheart became one of the most famous films ever made about Scotland.
Watch Mel Gibson’s stunning performance as the Scottish fearless hero William Wallace on HBO Max ad Amazon Prime.
Source: DailyMail
