Best known for his defining moment as director and actor on the set of Braveheart, a medieval war drama that has grossed over $210 million worldwide, and is now rumored to for a sequel. Mel Gibson became one of the most prominent names in Hollywood. He's also most notably known for starring in the successful action movie franchise, Mad Max, which is also expecting a couple more movies in the near future.
While Gibson did have a commendable and impressive career, the downfall he's witnessed has been less than favorable, to say the least. He went almost completely rogue for around a decade. So how did one of Hollywood's most hated men labeled as sexist, racist, and homophobic manage to return to working in the industry?
Gibson's Divorce With His Ex-Wife
Hollywood has had its fair share of celebrity divorces over the years, but few compare to that of Mel Gibson and his ex-wife Robyn Denise Moore. Their divorce stands as one of the most expensive payouts the celebrity scene has ever seen with a settlement of $450,000,000, a sum that amounted to half of Gibson's net worth at the time.
As reported by Gibson himself, the separation process began a day following his apprehension for driving under the influence. When confronted by the officer, Gibson responded with what fans and several of his peers branded as antisemitic. He told the officer in a moment of what the actor described as insanity "... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?" The incident was met with a $1,300 fine, and the actor was ordered to attend both self-help meetings, a First Offenders Program, along with three-year probation and a 90-day restriction on his license.
Some have speculated that the divorce came as a result of an affair Gibson was having with Russian pianist, Oksana Grigorieva. However, as reported by Oliver Jones in an article he wrote for the People, the couple was separated for three years prior to the divorce process or the surfacing of his relationship with Grigorieva.
As far as other reasons for the divorce, the Gibsons were rather discrete and very respectful about the whole situation, with Moore stating that "irreconcilable differences" were what pushed her towards filing for divorce. The ex-couple also added: "Throughout our marriage and separation we have always striven to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so" and they definitely did stick to their word as barely anything surfaced relating to what actually happened between the two. Despite Moore and Gibson ending on somewhat good terms, the divorce and the DUI incident had an impact on the latter's career as he both lost half his net worth at the time and received a lot of backlash from the community.
Gibson's Relationship Wih Oksana Grigorieva
The biggest blow to Gibson's career was his falling off with his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter Lucia Gibson, Oksana Grigorieva. The beginning of the relationship was smooth sailing as they eventually had a daughter together and you'd think that would further tighten the couple's relationship, but it was the complete opposite. As in 2010, Grigorieva recorded a conversation that took place between her and Gibson in which the latter was profane and racist in what he said to Grigorieva.
The recordings also made public that Gibson had been physically abusive with his daughter's mother, even saying that she deserved the abuse. However, he stated that the extent of the abuse was exaggerated but did not disclose what actually happened. Furthermore, Gibson was condemned for his past sexist and homophobic remarks such as that with Playboy where he stated that women are unequal to men in some aspects.
The legal consequences of the whole incident did not come close to the backlash Gibson received from the community, as he was dropped by his agency on the day the recording became public, and several of the projects he was working on came to a halt or were canceled altogether. A movie directed and co-written by Gibson never made it to cinemas, and Leonardo DiCaprio bailed out as well from a movie that was supposed to be directed by Gibson.
Gibson's Return To The Hollywood Scene
One of Gibson's first attempts at a return to Hollywood was through a cameo in Hangover 2, but objections from the cast of the movie led to the canceling of the cameo.
After laying low for a few years, he directed Hacksaw Ridge, the 2016 war drama that raked in over $175,000,000 worldwide. The movie also received six Oscar nominations, including Best Director. Additionally, the 2017 family comedy Daddy's Home 2 that Gibson headlined earned $180,000,000 internationally.
What also aided Gibson in his return was the surprising support he received from some big names in Hollywood. Robert Downey Jr. pleaded for the forgiveness of Gibson several times, including once at an award ceremony. Moreover, renowned director-actor and two-times Oscar winner Jodie Fosters was the first person to give Gibson his first major role in a movie following the DUI incident.
As far as Gibson's efforts to resolve his issues, he allegedly apologized several times for his past behavior according to some of his friends, stating that he is a changed man and that his previous remarks did not reflect how he truly felt. Despite Gibson finding himself back in the industry, the actor's slate is far from clean as several of his peers have acted as a reminder of Gibson's past remarks, for instance, Seth Rogen tweeted "Ho-ho-holocaust denier". The comment targeted Gibson's role as Santa Clause in the dark comedy action under production, Fatman.
Whether the stain on Gibson's career will ever wash away is uncertain, but so far, things have been looking good for him so far.