Mel Gibson enters rehab as Hollywood debates tirade against Jews

Mel Gibson

LOS ANGELES - A top film industry agent has asked his colleagues to boycott working with Mel Gibson as Hollywood debated whether the superstar's career will suffer because he made rabidly anti-Semitic remarks during an arrest for suspected drunk driving.

Gibson, whose personal views are far to the right of traditional liberal Hollywood's, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving early on Friday and was reported to have launched into a tirade against Jews, asking the arresting officer if he was a Jew and blaming the Jews for "starting all the wars".

A publicist for Gibson, who won an Oscar for directing "Braveheart" and made millions with the controversial film about the death of Jesus, "The Passion of the Christ," told CNN today he had entered rehab.

"He has entered into an ongoing program of recovery,'' Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, told CNN.

No other information was released.

The actor, who holds strong conservative Catholic religious and political views and whose father is a Holocaust denier, issued an apology at the weekend, saying, "I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything said."

He added he had battled alcoholism "for all of my life" and was taking action to prevent another relapse.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which arrested Gibson on suspicion of drunk driving, referred the case yesterday to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. The DA's office will decide whether to bring charges against the 50-year-old actor.

Hollywood rankled

Meanwhile, top film industry agent Ari Emanuel issued a statement on HuffingtonPost.Com in which he called on Hollywood to stop working with 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," he said, adding:

"People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or Gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line."

Rabbi Marvin Heir, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group, called on ABC to reconsider its plans to air a mini-series about a pair of lovers trapped in the Holocaust made by Gibson.

"I think if I were ABC I would not have Mel Gibson do a film about the Holocaust. It would be embarrassing," Heir said.

An ABC spokeswoman said the project was at such an early stage that the studio has not even received a first script yet.

Many in Hollywood debated whether the incident would indeed have an ill effect on Gibson's career, with some saying that they doubted it would because the actor was a money maker for the studios.

"The rule is forgive and forget when you can bring in a film that makes $100 million," one movie insider said.

Film historian David Thomson said Gibson has "been stepping over the line for several years. But the key thing is that he makes money for people and he will not only continue to eat lunch in this town but he will buy lunch."

- REUTERS