Writer Allison Hope Weiner did a sit-down with Mel Gibson that was posted last night on Deadline. It is the first day time that Gibson has spoken out since the tapes of him screaming and threatening his ex-girlfriend were released. He recently pleaded no contest to beating up his girlfriend and received three years probation.
He has begun this resurrection tour as The Beaver begins its press roll out in anticipation of the release and its screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
I guess enough time has passed and that since he really only abused his ex-girlfriend and people still really like him all will be forgiven pretty quickly.
The interview states up front that there were no ground rule,s but I got the sense from reading it that it was not going to be too hard hitting. And it wasn’t. I would imagine that Gibson wouldn’t have sat down with anyone he didn’t trust, but I didn’t feel like I learned one single thing from the piece except that on occasion he feels like an idiot — probably more for getting caught than for the actual acts he was caught doing. He doesn’t seem apologetic or contrite and could really give a shit if he acts again (though he has another gig lined up).
Here’s my favorite quote (which is very early in the interview) that confirms that he really is a big dick.
WEINER: People didn’t understand how you could say the things you did on these tapes. They wondered, what kind of person says those things. Right now, many people think you’re a racist and that you hate women from listening to those tapes.
GIBSON: I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality — period. I don’t blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. It’s one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life.
How can he really expect us to believe that he has never treated anyone in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality. We know that he has made anti-Semitic comments, and even if he did not expect to be taped by his ex- girlfriend, he made sexist and very scary comments on that tape.
People can decide for themselves that they don’t care what a person does in his private life and that won’t effect whether they go and see his movies. I’m still interested in seeing The Beaver, not for him, but for director (and co-star) Jodie Foster. I won’t miss a film she directs. I like her work too much. But this interview does nothing to make me think that this man is taking responsibility for his actions. Of course he’s upset with himself…he got caught.
EXCLUSIVE: MEL GIBSON FINALLY TALKS (Deadline)
