The 68-year-old 'Braveheart' actor praises the 'kind' and 'generous' Marvel star for inviting him 'to some kind of award he was getting' in the wake of his 2006 DUI arrest.
- April 10, 2024
AceShowbiz - Mel Gibson couldn't be more grateful to have Robert Downey Jr. as a friend. The "Braveheart" star gave a shout-out to the "Iron Man" actor for helping him get back on his feet when he almost ended his career after his infamous DUI arrest in 2006.
"One time, I got into a bit of a sticky situation where it kind of ended my career," the 68-year-old said in a new Esquire profile of Downey. "I was drunk in the back of a police car and I said some stupid s**t, and all of a sudden: blacklisted. I'm the poster boy for canceled."
Gibson was referring to his arrest, during which, according to a police report, he "blurted out a barrage of anti-Semitic remarks about '(profanity redacted) Jews.' " He allegedly "yelled out, 'The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.' Gibson then asked, 'Are you a Jew?' "
In the pierce, Gibson went on to elaborate, "A couple of years into that he invited me to some kind of award he was getting - we always had this kind of seesaw thing, where if he was on the wagon, I was falling off, and if I was on the wagon, he was falling off." He added, "So I was pretty much nonexistent in Hollywood at the time, and he stood up and spoke for me. It was a bold and generous and kind gesture. I loved him for that."
The said event was the 25th American Cinematheque Awards in 2011. At that time, the "Avengers: Endgame" actor thanked his pal for helping him mount a career comeback following years of substance abuse issues and legal troubles. "I asked Mel to present this award for me for a reason," he stated.
"When I couldn't get sober, he told me not to give up hope and encouraged me to find my faith," Downey further shared. "It didn't have to be his or anyone else's, as long as it was rooted in forgiveness. And I couldn't get hired, so he cast me in the lead of a movie that was actually developed for him."
Following the DUI incident, Gibson hasn't appeared in any films for four years. He finally appeared in 2010's "Edge of Darkness" and mainstream projects like "The Expendables 3", "Daddy's Home 2" as well as "Machete Kills". His directorial project "Hacksaw Ridge" also received six Academy Award nominations in 2017, including Best Picture and Best Director for Gibson himself.
