I've heard he has said a lot of sexist, anti-semantic sp, homophobic, etc etc etc things and is an alcoholic? This is an honest question, I'm not trying to be hateful at all. Based on the things I've read he sounds like a jerk. He's a talented actor, director. Can someone tell me what his redeeming qualities are? Any positive stories about him?
shareMel Gibson is a monster.
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C'mon, Ted Bundy was a monster. Pol Pot, John Wayne Gacy, Stalin... monsters.
Gibson is just an alcoholic loudmouth with a shitty attitude towards Jews, Blacks, Women and Gays who makes some pretty great movies.
He's a very entertaining and talented dickhead, but not a monster.
Think in his day a lot of men said shit like that, a lot of 70's and 80's movies had people saying politically incorrect stuff.
shareRedeeming qualities? Very good emotional actor, lethal weapon was awesome to me as a kid, my fav Mel Gibson film is the patriot, I wish he would have had bigger budget revenge films...
Off cam, he's a drunk, prejudice, discriminating, bigot, most likely racist person...
Using old school racial slurs such as a "pack of niggers" shows he grew up around prejudice, discriminating, bigotry, and racism, and like many white men with money, learned to democratically harbor their ignorance, I'm not a republican
Oh, he also pissed me off when he said playing wolverine was beneath him, he would've, or he was the top pick for wolverine, which would've put him back in the spotlight as opposed to only being known as a prejudiced, discriminating, bigot that's most likely done racist things
He's a patriotic Republican. if that helps, which makes him to me family friendly (and he DID get the part in "Daddy's Home 2"!)
shareplaying wolverine is beneath anyone, he's a stupid superhero who , like the rest of them , should have stayed in the comic book. store.
shareMel is very charismatic and he treats fellow actors like the professionals they truly are. However, he's manic and hot tempered if he doesn't get his way. He was typecast in Mad Max for good reason, he had just been in a bar fight and he fit the role perfectly. Mel is a guy you don't want to get on the wrong side of, that's for sure. True, his ex girlfriend set him up by recording his rants but he was due for a big fall and deserved what he got.
Mel had it so good for so long but he just had to go and screw his life up after so much success. What an idiot.
Mel is an alcoholic, and manic...probably bi-polar. He'd probably be the first to admit this. He has admitted his sins, and I believe deep down, is a good person...who has done some bad things he regrets. He has also done quite a bit of good, which he does with very little fanfare. As an actor, he has very few who come close to his talent. And likewise, he is an awesome director. Unfortunately, he was blackballed in Hollywood....(ironically, probably by Mr. HW of all people), and his career never recovered. He also seems very charismatic and likable. If you've ever seen him in interviews, he has a fun, keen and self-deprecating sense of humor.
shareNot giving him an excuse but I think in Mel Gibson's day I think a lot of men said stuff like that, it was pretty common and didn't think much of it.
shareI feel like he's mixed up in his heart and head and I doubt the drinking is a help
He is a fine director and great action actor...I love the guy in front of and behind the camera
A lot of his stupidity in real life has been unsettling for sure
I am a Gibson fan though, always have been...I try to separate the star from his asshole public behavior in these cases
But you're a privlidge white male who can afford to care about totally worthless things like whether someone uses "bad words" commonly heard in rap songs. What are Mel's views on important issues, like the war against Syria, or Federal Reserve policy? Something tells me Mel may be one of small handful of people in Hollywood who are actually against killing people for no reason, and stealing their money.
shareYou are trying too hard;)
shareI never get what people mean when they say someone is a good actor. It usually means they look good and sound good. It's like trying to say a model is a good person ... they are just playing a role, being furniture. It's all manufactured superficiality. There are certain scenes and characters that require some imagination, but that if often the writer and director's job to convey that on screen, and they make the actor do it over and over until it fits their vision. That's good acting?
shareDo you act? Can you name of the roles you've done?
shareWell here is a very particular way of thinking. I myself love to think by myself and I don't always understand why people care so much about some things and why they see things in some ways... but saying that good acting doesn't exist (I know it is not exactly what you've said) seem kinda far fetched.
shareGiven the evidence, he is a classic alcoholic. When sober, he is a fine human. Kind, fun, clever, talented. When he gets drunk he turns into a vile human being who says inexcusable things. I try to be forgiving of people and judge them by their actions rather than words (especially interpretation of the words by those who hate them). People forget that when Brittany Spears was at her worst and the world was mocking her, Mel let her stay with his family to chill out away from cameras for over a month. Other stories about his benevolence out there too.
So I guess the answer is "yes" he is a good person. But a severely flawed person as well. Brew turns some folks evil. I know the biggest regrets I have in my life were always when drunk. Part of why I quit (mostly quit because it started making me feel headachy and ill right away)
There's a proverb in my country 'barking dog doesn't bite'. I think Gibson is the kind of guy with a big mouth, but that's it. People like that have it hard when the society becomes more sanctimonious, like the one nowadays.
shareId agree with this. Theres too many stories of him being kind for him to just be an asshole. We've all done and said stupid things while drunk, Mel was just unfortunate enough to be famous and saying stupid stuff against jews.
In saying that, Im not is friend. He can be the biggest asshole in the world for all I care. I do however enjoy his contributions to cinema. As Russell Crowe once said "I owe you my best effort, not my best attitude.". This is true of Gibson as it is all movie makers. This idea that they all need to be perfect people is just silly. I enjoy James Woods as an actor, in real life Id no doubt want to punch him. I enjoy Kevin Spaceys work, as a person though...
Mel said stupid things, and then he apologised. He had a horrid relationship with a woman that got well out of hand. Things like that happen all the time to people, because life can just be like that sometimes. We meet people that bring out the worst in us. Add drink to that, and its never a good combination.
There's also Robert Downey Jr who Gibson helped get his career back on track.
RDJ drug abuse sent him in a downward spiral in the late 90's and he was incarcerated after numerous incidents and repeatedly breaking probation (such as wandering into the wrong house and being found in a neighbors bed) . He seemed like one of those actors that was lost and would never be found again. Everyone had written him off ..But after prison and rehab Gibson backed him up and helped get him work and get back on track.
So he is a loyal friend ..no doubt about that.
And yeah...I do think all the things you said are true..and like you, my biggest regrets were tied to my drinking and that's also why I quit. Mel Gibson definitely needs to quit..
There's also the entitlement from becoming so rich and famous that people lose touch...Drugs and alcohol are self medicating tools that always backfire whether you're famous or not..
That being said I never had to overcome racist or antisemitic rants because I had never used them so they weren't lurking inside of me..but I do think maybe he is in conflict with this part of his upbringing. His father was a piece of work ...