Mel Gibson ouster more about money than morals
Kim Masters
When William Morris Endeavor dropped Mel Gibson as a client last
week, sources at the agency cited the star’s misconduct as the reason.
Its revulsion may be genuine, but the decision also was based on the
bottom line, a calculation that Gibson no longer has real monetary value
to the agency.
Mel Gibson |
“There’s nothing to do for Mel Gibson at the moment,” a William
Morris source said. “No one will touch him with a 10-foot pole. He’ll
make his own movies, but you don’t commission those anyway.”
Hollywood has routinely overlooked reprehensible, even illegal
behaviour when there’s money to be made. And observers - including a
studio chief and an insider at William Morris - said the industry might
even have gotten past Gibson’s alleged assault on his former girlfriend.
(Consider Charlie Sheen) But the repeated allegations of bigoted
comments have left his relationship with the public in tatters and
that’s a deal-breaker.
With tapes surfacing in which Gibson apparently used unforgivable
language when referring to African-Americans and Latinos, he has
antagonized two groups that are disproportionately represented in movie
audiences. And fans who were willing to forgive Gibson’s previous
transgressions as drunken utterances might find it hard to make excuses
for him this time around. Despite his sexist and anti-Semitic outburst
after his 2006 arrest, few industry executives publicly denounced him.
(The exceptions included Sony Pictures chairman Amy Pascal and agent Ari
Emanuel, then at Endeavor. And Emanuel wound up accepting Gibson as a
client after Endeavor merged with William Morris last year.) Now the
tough job is finding anyone to speak on Gibson’s behalf. “I wouldn’t
make a movie with him if he were the last actor on the planet,” the
studio chief said.
“There were five minutes when we were saying, ‘Maybe we should give
this guy a break,’ and that’s gone. No one will touch him.” A veteran
producer believes Gibson will still make his own films - and this
observer said he can succeed if he stays behind the camera.
“I’ve thought for a while that he was over as an actor no matter what
because of his age,” he said. “But if he were to make ‘The Passion of
the Christ’ today, it wouldn’t do a dime less business.” But it’s hard
to assess Gibson’s potential as a filmmaker because the star appears to
be spiraling downward and not just professionally. In January, when
Warners released Edge of Darkness, his behaviour during media
appearances was erratic. Around that time, a veteran publicist remarked
that Gibson did not appear healthy.
Gibson’s spokesman, Alan Nierob, responded that Gibson was “healthy
for a guy who’s an alcoholic who’s smoked for 40 years,” adding that his
client was “trying to be healthier.” With the current state of affairs,
Summit - which is dealing with the next project featuring Gibson in a
starring role - must be glad it’s still counting its Twilight money. The
challenges of opening the $20 million-plus The Beaver now in
postproduction, are obvious.
Directed by and co-starring Jodie Foster, the movie is a dark comedy
about a troubled man who feels compelled to communicate through a beaver
hand puppet.
The script generated positive buzz, but the film - which does not
have a release date - sounds like a tough sell even without a troubled
star. Summit execs said they are happy with The Beaver and one noted
that Gibson turned in “an amazing performance.” Summit split the film’s
cost with other investors.
The fate of other Gibson-related projects remains unclear.
His company recently finished filming How I Spent My Summer Vacation
an action drama, in Mexico. Gibson also has a project that would pair
him with Leonardo DiCaprio. Producer Graham King did not respond to
inquiries about that film’s status.
LOS ANGELES, Hollywood Reporter |