Mel Gibson: Back in the firing line

Mel Gibson returns to the big screen. Photo / Supplied

It's been seven years since we've seen Mel Gibson in front of the camera in a big-budget movie. It's a welcome return to see the 54-year-old, Academy Award-winning actor-director on the big screen doing what he does best, and not on our news programmes for spouting anti-Semitic or homophobic rants, or offering sympathy to philandering golf star Tiger Woods.

This afternoon in Santa Monica's Casa Del Mar hotel, Gibson is in fine form. His signature energetic demeanour hasn't waned with age (also exacerbated by this afternoon being Day Nine of having quit cigarettes cold turkey) and he is happy to set the record straight on a few misconceptions.

"What annoys me the most is that people think I'm some kind of Republican. I don't understand that at all," he says. Addressing the elephant in the room, he discusses his well-documented, alcohol-fuelled rants, which have resulted in some negative media coverage.

Commenting on the old adage "when wine comes in, the truth comes out", he says, "oh, the Roman thing: In vino veritas. Well, that's not necessarily the truth. Not the truth at all. I've told some whoppers when I'm loaded," he says.

He is referring to his arrest for driving under the influence in July 2006, when he made anti-Semitic remarks to an arresting officer. "Those statements were exaggerated. That so-called 'rant' was actually about five words. Israel walked into Lebanon that day and I was drunk and said some things. The police officer ran to the newspaper," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "Then I got sober and I apologised profusely - not once, but three times. It's four years ago. I'm sorry if I scared anyone or if I offended anyone. I'm really sorry, and that's the truth," he says earnestly. "I don't want to be the monster.

"Most media coverage is not going to be too flattering, and it certainly hasn't been recently. That's okay, that's the way it is."

He veers off on a tangent. "Do you know what the number one fear of every human being is?" Public speaking, I suggest. "No," he says, shaking his head. "It's public humiliation. That's bigger than public speaking. It's a little like what Tiger's going through now. In fact, that fear is even worse than the fear of death."

Speaking of death, it's interesting that in Gibson's professional life, he is attracted to depressive characters. In the upcoming thriller, Edge of Darkness, he plays a Boston detective investigating the murder of his 24-year old daughter. "I'm drawn to what scares me. I like to make films about fears. It's the same reason as why kids like listening to stories about monsters and trolls, rather than fairies and flowers," he says. "Look at Apocalypto - it's about every fear you can imagine. It's primal, and that's what Edge of Darkness is, in a way, too."

He has had enormous success behind the camera, and he says of starring in a movie again, "It's great to be back".

"Being back in front of the camera is a bit like riding a bike. I thought it was time to return, and this script was the best thing that was out there." In recent years, Gibson directed, co-wrote and produced 2004's surprising blockbuster The Passion of the Christ (earning more than US$600 million globally), and directed, co-wrote and produced the drama, Apocalypto, which also exceeded all industry expectations.

"Coming back to acting is more lucrative. It's a lot easier, and of course, it's my first love."

Directed by Martin Campbell, he says that Gibson's lack of vanity sets him apart from other ageing leading men. Is Gibson the only Hollywood actor unconcerned about losing his looks? He laughs. "I look pretty drawn out and leathered in this movie, and I have definitely aged. It's just a natural part of the holy human condition. What am I going to do? Get surgery or something? That just looks weird. And besides, that must hurt. And another thing, you can't undo it! So, what's the point?"

The American-born, Australian-raised movie star is at a good place in his life and this self-described "octo-dad" is enjoying his new world with fiance, Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva, 39. The happy couple are raising his eighth and her second child, Lucia, born on October 30. Grigorieva's firstborn, 12-year-old Alexander, is the product of a relationship she had with Timothy Dalton in the 90s.

Gibson says of fatherhood, 29 years after he first became a father, "It's different because I'm different but the thing that isn't different is that I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the fact that there is a little life there in front of me staring at me with complete innocence and a total angelic blamelessness. It's phenomenal. It kills me."

And of the new love in his life, he gushes, "Oksana is a tremendous artist. She's classically trained. This gal can play Rachmaninoff and Chopin. It's beautiful, and then she writes these contemporary songs that are really quite complicated. In fact, one of the songs that she and I wrote is on the end of this film. She sings on the closing credits, you can hear it. I wrote the lyrics and she wrote the music."

Gibson was married to former dental nurse Robin Moore from 1980 until 2006 and they raised seven children - the oldest born in 1980 - and the youngest in 1999.

Surprisingly, none of his brood has any desire to follow in their famous father's footsteps.

"Not one of them want to be actors. Bill Murray made a quote which I think is brilliant: 'For those who want wealth and fame, try wealth and see if that doesn't cover it'," Gibson laughs. "My kids have looked at my life and said, 'You know what? This famous thing isn't so hot.' But everybody wants to be financially secure, of course. I don't think they want to be wealthy, and they're not. They've had to work for it. But they want to be anonymous. They don't want to lose that precious commodity of anonymity."

Despite his public trials and criticisms played out in the media, it would seem that Gibson handles it all relatively well. He goes about his business without bodyguards or any kind of entourage. "Well, I did for a little while, but I have to tell you, that's a drag. And I also think, if your number's up, it's up. I've had some weird stuff happen to me, but I'm not dead yet. If I'm lying in bed and somebody comes into my room, I'll either wake up or I won't. And

I'll either hit 'em with my big stick that I've got, or my gun that I've [stown away]. Or they'll hit me."

So, Gibson sleeps with a gun next to his bed? "In this day and age, you've got to be tooled up. Absolutely. If they walk in on me, I'm not going to just let them whip me that easily."

Lowdown

Who: Mel Gibson, returning action hero
What: Edge of Darkness, directed by New Zealander Martin Campbell
When: Opens January 28