Gibson after his 2006 arrest.
I was once a huge fan of Mel Gibson. I considered him to be my favorite actor at one point. In a way, I still am a fan of his movies, but this latest spell of trouble he has been in has got me thinking twice about the star of one of the most popular cop movie-series of all-time, Lethal Weapon.
Long gone are those days, where he played the young, suicidal cop, or where he got his first start in Mad Max. Long gone are the days where he turned to directing, and put forth one of the best pieces of cinema, ever, in Braveheart. And now, long gone are the days of his later career, where he turned away from acting to give us The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, both stunning pieces of film achievement.
But what happened to Mel Gibson?
The actor had for a long time a struggle with alcohol, and if people were not aware of it, they found out in 2006, when Gibson went on a drunken, anti-Semitic tirade blaming the Jews for all the problems in the world (among saying other things). The devout Catholic Gibson promptly apologized and set himself on a path of rehabilitation, both for alcohol and his anger. For the next four years, everything was under control.
He did, however, end up divorcing his wife of nearly thirty years, whom he had seven children with, but in Hollywood, a marriage that long is an achievement, even when it comes to an end. So Mel then started seeing another woman, Oksana Grigorieva, which was highly publicized. But still, Gibson was free of negativity.
Edge of Darkness then hit the market earlier this year, being the first time he had starred in a role since Signs in 2002.
But then, all hell broke loose. Just last week, Gibson found himself in hot water yet again, when another angry tirade was released. This time, it was on the phone with his girlfriend, a conversation that can be heard in its explicit, uncensored entirety here (warning, it is extremely offensive).
This latest little rant would not have really opened many eyes, except this time, he used the N-word, a word powerful enough to end a career.
I am a strong believer in what a person does in their private life should stay private. But this is now public, and I have to ask, just what the hell happened, Mel? You went from being on top of the world to now being viewed as lower than dirt.
But now the question is, will his career recover? That’s exactly what people asked after his incident in 2006. It did, and Apocalypto was a success at the box office. But with Gibson directing, perhaps people felt distant from him, not having to actually see his face on camera.
Gibson was on top of the world with the release of "Braveheart" in 1993.
Gibson now has two movies coming out, both of which he is acting in. The first is The Beaver, which is slated to come out this year. And a release next year is scheduled for How I Spent My Summer Vacation, which is just in pre-production.
Obviously, since The Beaver has been completed, it will be released, but what about his future ventures? Will financiers put their money up to an actor people now view as a racist scumbag? It is definitely a long road ahead for Gibson, and such a fall from the early 90′s when he was in the prime of his acting career.
According to PopEater:
“The Hollywood Reporter is currently reporting that Gibson’s talent agency dumped him earlier this week in light of all the allegations. Gibson was repped by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment for several decades, specifically by longtime agent Ed Limato. Limato died last week leaving WME partner Ari Emanuel to cut ties with the actor, something he’d wanted to do since Gibson’s anti-Semitic tirade in 2006.”
This may just be the end of the once great career of actor/director Mel Gibson.
I will still watch his movies, though, because for the most part, I find them entertaining and action packed. But this has taught myself and everyone else a lesson, and that is to be wary of what people are like. You just never know what someone’s true motives are off camera.
Mel Gibson will undoubtedly issue another public apology, but will he truly mean it? After 2006, maybe, maybe not. There is an old saying that goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Gibson has fooled us twice now, and how many more times are coming?
