Mel Gibson is still basking in the overwhelmingly positive reception for his film Hackshaw Ridge.
The actor-filmmaker has directed his first movie in 10 years, following a difficult decade that was punctuated by anti-Semitic and racial rants and a domestic violence investigation over his relationship with Oskana Grigorieva (the Russian pianist mother of his child) that resulted in the actor later pleading no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge. During his period the Australian-born American, once one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors, also appeared in several flop films.
But gratifyingly for Gibson, Hackshaw Ridge, a biopic chronicling the life of World War II medic Desmond Doss — the first conscientious objector to receive the American Medal of Honor — received a ten-minute standing ovation during its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which followed incredibly high US test screening scores for the movie.
The film, which stars Andrew Garfield and Vince Vaughn, is an Oscars contender two decades after Gibson’s Braveheart won five Academy Awards. Now Heat Street can reveal that Mel’s awards chances have been boosted by the fact that he has mended fences with two of his fiercest foes: producer and former Hollywood studio boss Amy Pascal and mega-agent Ari Emanuel.
Pascal was hitherto one of Gibson’s high-profile enemies, dating back to his notorious 2006 anti-Semitic rant to a cop in the course of a DUI arrest that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”
In the aftermath of that incident Pascal, then co-chairman of Sony was the only studio chief to speak on the record about Gibson saying: “It’s incredibly disappointing that somebody of his stature would speak out that way, especially at this sensitive time.”
Their acrimonious relationship continued for the next decade. But a source told Heat Street that earlier this year Gibson and Pascal happened to be working near each other in Hollywood’s Century City and had a clear-the-air meeting at which she accepted his apology for his previous behavior.
Likewise Emanuel, who is now co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor and who formed the inspiration for the agent Ari Gold in HBO’s Hollywood comedy Entourage, was just as critical of Gibson as Pascal had been.
In 2006 he wrote in The Huffington Post: “[Film industry people] need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him … There are times in history when standing up against bigotry and racism is more important than money… The entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements.”
Emanuel was instrumental in Gibson getting fired from the William Morris Endeavor agency in 2010 and Heat Street understands the pair had an uncomfortable encounter during the Golden Globes Awards last January. But immediately after the ceremony, Gibson and Emanuel ‘hugged it out’ as Ari Gold was famous for saying in Entourage.
Gibson is still in the process of deciding how much publicity he will do for Hackshaw Ridge which opens on November 4. Once one of the most assured Hollywood stars, he is having a hard time in the public eye recently telling Deadline Hollywood he was unsure what he wanted to say in public and asking his interviewer to move on from discussing his demons.
But Hackshaw Ridge‘s Oscar prospects have been boosted by the fact that many other award contenders have underwhelmed after being premiered at the Toronto Film Festival which is ongoing.
Given Hollywood has historically taken a dim view of anti-Semitism, racism, and homophobia, Gibson is still a long shot to achieve glory at next year’s Oscars. Longtime Hollywood observer Jeffrey Wells wrote recently on his Hollywood Elsewhere website: “’I’ve presumed all along and sight unseen that Hacksaw Ridge wouldn’t even begin to merit award-season consideration because of Gibson’s longstanding pariah status.”
Yet his prospects of being top dog have been boosted now that he doesn’t risk being badly bitten by two of his previously strongest antagonists.