Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American-born Australian-reared actor, director and producer best known for acting in the Mad Max movie series, the Lethal Weapon series, acting in and directing the Academy Award winning Braveheart and directing the 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ.

Gibson's politics and opinions

Some gay rights groups have accused Gibson of homophobia for his alleged Traditionalist Catholic views on homosexuality. In a 1992 interview, when asked what he thought of gay people, he said, "They take it up the ass." Gibson then bent over and pointed to his buttocks, saying "This is only for taking a shit." When the interviewer recalled that Gibson previously had expressed fear people would think he is gay because he's an actor, Gibson responded in saying "Do I sound like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?" Gibson later defended his comments on Good Morning America, saying "I don't think there's an apology necessary, and I'm certainly not giving one. to a direct question. If someone wants my opinion, I'll give it. What, am I supposed to lie to them?"

Related Topics:
Gay rights - Homophobia - Traditionalist Catholic - Homosexuality - Good Morning America

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Gibson later said that he was only joking. In January of 1997, to make amends with the gay community and to show that he is not homophobic, Gibson hosted along with GLAAD 10 lesbian and gay filmmakers for an on-location seminar on the set of the movie Conspiracy Theory. During the seminar Gibson provided up-and-coming lesbian and gay filmmakers with an up-close and personal look into the inner workings of a major Hollywood feature film. http://www.glaad.org/media/archive_detail.php?id=181

Related Topics:
January - 1997 - Gay community - GLAAD - Seminar - Conspiracy Theory - Lesbian - Hollywood

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Other groups were later angry at his depiction of homosexual people as villains in Braveheart. However, historians agree that the character, the Prince (later King) Edward II of England, was indeed homosexual, and also agree with what was portrayed in the movie of the King being a mere puppet of Thomas of Lancaster. It should also be noted that Gibson did not write the screenplay for that film.

Related Topics:
Edward II of England - Thomas of Lancaster - Screenplay

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Gibson was accused of homophobia once more in his movies with his portrayal of Herod Antipas in The Passion of the Christ. Antipas is portrayed as an effeminate homosexual, complete with a "boy-toy". Although this was a common caricature of Herod in medieval Passion plays, it does not appear in the Gospels and is contrary to the historical record regarding Antipas.

Related Topics:
Herod Antipas - Boy-toy - Medieval

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Despite the fact that he has been perceived as being politically conservative (even though he has never identified himself as such), Gibson joined many of his colleagues in the entertainment industry in opposition to the Iraq War and even praised Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11, leading some to question labeling him as conservative.

Related Topics:
Iraq War - Michael Moore - Fahrenheit 9/11

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