Tom
You should join Mel today!
August 2, 2006
Mel Gibson Seeks Forgiveness From Jews
By ALLISON HOPE WEINER
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 — Faced with growing outrage over his anti-Semitic remarks when arrested last week, Mel Gibson offered a second apology, this time specifically imploring the forgiveness of Jews and asking for meetings with Jewish leaders who might help him find “the appropriate path for healing.”
The statement, issued on Tuesday, followed an earlier apology that acknowledged “despicable” remarks, but never specifically mentioned their anti-Jewish tenor.
“There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark,” Mr. Gibson said in Tuesday’s statement.
He continued, in part: “I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a D.U.I. charge. I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena.”
Mr. Gibson went on to say he wished “to take it one step further, and meet with Jewish leaders” for a “one-on-one discussion.”
This latest apology was greeted with cautious optimism by some Jews who had harshly admonished Mr. Gibson only days before upon learning that he had berated Jews in an obscene tirade after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early on Friday morning.
“This is finally an apology,” said Abraham H. Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League. “We’re glad that he owned up that what he said was not only offensive, but bigoted. When he’s finished with alcohol rehabilitation, we will be ready and willing to meet with him and to help him get rid of his other addiction, which is prejudice.”
Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center here, also offered to meet with Mr. Gibson, but cautioned in a statement that, like substance abuse and alcoholism, anti-Semitism “cannot be cured in one day and certainly not through a press release.”
On Monday the Walt Disney Company said it was dropping plans to develop a Holocaust-themed mini-series in collaboration with Mr. Gibson, who had been criticized by some who found anti-Semitic overtones in his hit movie “The Passion of the Christ.” A Disney spokeswoman did not connect the project’s termination to Mr. Gibson’s remarks. But Rabbi Hier and others had already suggested publicly that Mr. Gibson’s outburst should disqualify him from the project.
Since his arrest, Mr. Gibson’s representatives have repeatedly said he was not yet prepared to discuss the events publicly.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, however, Mr. Gibson’s longtime agent, Ed Limato of International Creative Management, described Mr. Gibson as “embarrassed and ashamed,” and said: “He obviously has a problem, and he’s doing everything he can to make amends. The other night was inexcusable.”
At the same time, Mr. Limato strongly rebuked some competitors, who, he said, were openly assailing Mr. Gibson after having tried and failed to woo him from I.C.M.
“For some people in my business to publicly try to destroy Mel Gibson because of this incident the other night I find very hypocritical,” he said, “since I know one or two, who even after ‘The Passion of the Christ’ have been calling Mr. Gibson and trying to entice him to their agency as a client weekly.”
Mr. Limato declined to identify any agents. Ariel Emanuel, a partner in the Endeavor agency, has been among Mr. Gibson’s most pointed critics in Hollywood in the last few days, using the huffingtonpost.com Web site on Sunday to call on Hollywood to refuse to work with Mr. Gibson.
“At a time of escalating tensions in the world, the entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements,” Mr. Emanuel wrote. “Now we know the truth. And no amount of publicist-approved contrition can paper it over.”
Mr. Emanuel declined through a spokesman to be interviewed about Mr. Gibson’s new statement.
Mr. Limato said he could not yet tell how the incident would affect Mr. Gibson’s professional future. “These are difficult times, and it’s too early to tell what the repercussions will be,” he said. “I hope there won’t be any.”
Richard Donner, who directed Mr. Gibson in the hugely profitable “Lethal Weapon” films, said he had never heard the actor speak an anti-Semitic word. “In all of us there are seeds that have been implanted by others,” Mr. Donner said. “He’s crying out for help.”
Donna Dubrow, a veteran film producer who has been collaborating with Mr. Gibson to develop “Lady Gold,” a detective drama, said she believed his expressions of regret were genuine. “My experience with him in the past is when he says something, he does it,” she said.
Home
World U.S. N.Y. / Region Business Technology Science Health Sports Opinion Arts Style Travel Jobs Real Estate Automobiles Back to Top
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
Privacy Policy Search Corrections XML Help Contact Us Work for Us Site Map |
