Mel Gibson Breaks His Silence On His Hate Speech, Admitting It Was The “Stupid Ramblings Of A Drunkard”
Posted October 11, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The actor finally broke his long silence on his infamous infraction Wednesday, telling a U.S. network that he hasn’t had a drink in 65 days and confessing that his Anti-Semitic ravings to an officer came from an inebriated mind.
“It was just the stupid rambling of a drunkard, you know and … the last thing I want to be is that kind of monster,” he points out.
Gibson was stopped in Malibu on July 28th after having imbibed more than a few too many. That was bad enough, but when he started asking the arresting officer if he was Jewish and launched into a rant about how they “started all the wars in the world”, the sometime movie hero was instantly transformed into a real-life villain.
The 50-year-old has since repeatedly apologized for his actions, and hopes Hollywood will forgive him as he attempts to regain his sobriety and his reputation.
“All you can do is take another step, keep breathing,” he shrugs.
But he acknowledges the remarks have hurt his career, with many peers now refusing to work with him.
“I feel sad because they’ve obviously been hurt and frightened and offended enough to feel that they have to do that,” he muses. “And it’s their choice. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
The acknowledged alcoholic claims he started drinking again two months before the arrest and simply couldn’t stop.
“Years go by, you’re fine,” he explains. “And then all of a sudden in a heartbeat, in an instant, on an impulse, somebody shoves a glass of Mescal in front of your nose and says, ‘It’s from Oaxaca.’ And it’s burning its way through your esophagus and you go, ‘Oh man, what did I do that for? I can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.'”
He’s not sure how audiences will react, either, but the first big test comes when his new film “Apocalypto” debuts in December.
Gibson pleaded no contest to the charges against him in August and received three years probation, an order to attend rehab and a fine.
But the penalty he may continue to pay in Hollywood is much stiffer than anything the courts might dole out – and it could be a life sentence.
