Gibson sorry for anti-Semitic 'stupid rambling'

Actor Mel Gibson (L) is interviewed by 'Good Morning America' host Diane Sawyer. Picture / Reuters

LOS ANGELES - Actor Mel Gibson says his anti-Semitic outburst after a drunk driving arrest last summer was "just the stupid rambling of a drunkard" and he does not want the public to think of him as a monster.

In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer to air on "Good Morning America" on Thursday and Friday, Gibson said he needed to heal himself and "allay the fears of others and to heal them if they had any heart wounds from something I may have said."

"It was just the stupid rambling of a drunkard, you know and ... the last thing I want to be is that kind of monster," he said.

Gibson was arrested in July on suspicion of drunken driving after being caught speeding on a highway in Malibu, California. According to portions of the arrest report that became public, Gibson launched into an anti-Semitic tirade, accusing Jews of starting all wars and demanding to know if his arresting officer was Jewish.

The incident sparked international headlines, drew condemnation from Jewish leaders and led to speculation that Gibson's Hollywood career had been irreparably damaged.

Gibson has since pleaded no contest to drunk driving charges and was ordered to undergo rehabilitation for alcohol abuse. He also issued apologies for his comments through his spokesman.

ABC released some excerpts from its interview with Gibson ahead of the broadcast. He last spoke to Sawyer in 2004 when controversy swirled around whether he or his film "The Passion of the Christ" was anti-Semitic, charges that he strongly denied.

Gibson's latest interview with Sawyer comes as his latest film, "Apocalypto," is due for release in December.

- REUTERS