web counter
 

Jodie Foster's Mel Gibson Love-fest: True Friendship, or Anything To Sell a Movie?

By Courtney Enlow | Posted Under Celebrities Are Better than You | Comments (18)

mel-gibson-the-beaver-trail_061210113703.jpg

In the promotion of her new directorial effort The Beaver, only the third time she’s stepped into such a role, Jodie Foster spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the film, her struggles transitioning into directing, and, naturally, her incredibly controversial leading man.

And you would think she was talking about Nelson Mandela.

“He’s so incredibly loving and sensitive, he really is,” she says. “He is the most loved actor I have ever worked with on a movie. And he’s not saintly, and he’s got a big mouth, and he’ll do gross things your nephew would do. But I knew the minute I met him that I would love him the rest of my life.”

She adds: “I know him in a very complex way. He’s a real person; he’s not a cardboard cutout. I know that he has troubles, and when you love somebody you don’t just walk away from them when they are struggling.” …

She pauses, and this exceptionally intelligent, highly controlled woman has tears in her eyes.

“God, I love that man,” Foster says. “The performance he gave in this movie, I will always be grateful for. He brought a lifetime of pain to the character that we’ve been talking about for years, that I knew was part of his psyche and who he is. It’s part of him that is beautiful and that I want people to know, too. I can’t ever regret that.”

Jodie Foster’s next film is God of Carnage with Roman Polanski, so she is apparently quite adept at separating the man from the artist as few seem to be (unless you’re actually a part of Hollywood culture, then it’s simple I suppose). But the way she speaks about Gibson, with such love, such emotion, such passion.

It’s almost like she’s trying to sell a film or something.

I don’t mean to be cynical. Friendship is a beautiful thing and I don’t expect people to abandon those they love in times of crisis. But she is talking about a violent, abusive hate-monger. And, yes, people have layers and perhaps those are but facets of an incredibly complex individual, but even the most forgiving Gibsonite would have to admit those are pretty big facets.

She loves Gibson. Facts are facts. But additional facts include: Foster has been trying to get this film off the ground for 3 years. There’s been casting changes and an immense amount of public scrutiny. Her previous directorial effort, love it as I do, pretty much tanked. That was 16 years ago. In this same THR article, Foster speaks of projects that have never happened, real passion projects she’s wanted to do for years. The allure of acting has worn off and she wants to direct, but for a number of reasons has been unable to giver herself over to that world. So she has a lot riding on this, and reviews are, so far, fair to okay. Be it real friendship, or other motives, I’m not sure she felt she had a choice but to defend Mel Gibson.

So, the question is: if your career rested upon one of Hollywood’s most presently hated figures, would you?









Each Time You Like, Share, Tweet or Stumble a Pajiba Post, An Angel Does the Paul Rudd Dance

← Happy St. Patrick's Day, Cillian Murphy. Kiss Me, You're Irish. That's How The Saying Goes, Right? | My Favorite Irish Films: No Potatoes, Banshees or Blarney →









Comments

If she's being honest, then she's either incredibly deluded or duped or both. Either way, her slobbery pandering made me vurp my guinness a little.

Posted by: JuiceinLA at March 17, 2011 2:06 PM

The lady doth profess too much, methinks.

See what I did there?

Posted by: Dorothy Snarker at March 17, 2011 2:09 PM

I think there is a bit of both going on. I do not doubt that she considers him a friend. She cast him in a movie he clearly is not suited for. She cast him when he was down(I suspect not knowing just how far he had to go). But she also has to try to salvage this movie.

Posted by: Sean at March 17, 2011 2:11 PM

The movie Jodie Foster is doing with Polanski is called Carnage. Elysium is a different movie.

Posted by: Will at March 17, 2011 2:13 PM

How hated IS Mel in H'wood though, really? Do you know for sure? Can you give us a rating, on a scale of 1 to 10? Is there any crime you could commit that's so egregious that nobody would work with you if you're capable of a $35 million opening?

You can be an alcoholic, you can do a busload of blow, you can consort with hookers, you can be a raging bigoted egomaniac, you can be stone crazy and as long as you attract eyeballs, you've got a job.

Well, there's that whole calling-your-boss-an-idiot-in-public thing. THAT crime gets you canned.

Right, Charlie?

Posted by: , at March 17, 2011 2:15 PM

I'm not surprised she can separate artist from man. She's been in the Hollywood system all her life. I'm sure she's met and worked with other reprehensible human beings -- and had to accept it as fact.

And yes, this is all a defense to sell her movie -- which, if it's any good won't matter.

Posted by: Fredo at March 17, 2011 2:17 PM

God, I bet Chris Brown is so jealous of this shit.

Posted by: MeganTheFirst at March 17, 2011 2:38 PM

Do you suspect Foster's greatest acting performance might be convincing people that this movie is worth their time and money?

To read her blubber on about both Gibson and his performance in her production, one would think this might be her Prince of Tides. Well, it might be if we can see Mel getting baffombah'd by three escaped convicts too. But that's just wishful thinking.

Posted by: bleujayone at March 17, 2011 3:08 PM

Ehhh... he made fun of the Jews. I will say... hated in Hollywood, still loved in most of America.

I still can't judge the guy because if he is an alcoholic... well the drink causes a lot of sins.

Posted by: maka at March 17, 2011 3:23 PM

@maka

Booze doesn't make you an abusive, racist homophobe. It just takes off the brakes that keep you from acting on the violent tendencies, or making racist and homophobic statements.

Posted by: Groundloop at March 17, 2011 3:33 PM

well if she loves him so much, why doesn't she just marry him?

Posted by: nat at March 17, 2011 3:48 PM

It's doomed. And she should know better.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at March 17, 2011 4:23 PM

Someone conjectured on another site that Gibson might be the sperm donor for her children... that would explain the 'complex relationship.'

Posted by: snapnhiss at March 17, 2011 4:23 PM

Wait, Jodie Foster is doing a movie with Roman Polanski? Are you shitting me? Well, then FUCK HER. And any possible horse she may have ridden in on.

Posted by: Sean at March 17, 2011 4:24 PM

And I should believe an interview by a professional actress, whose job is to believably feign emotions and speak dialogue realistically because ........

Posted by: Mr. Stitch at March 17, 2011 6:55 PM

It's not pretence; she genuinely really likes him. When she guest-edited the French magazine Premiere over ten years ago, she chose a picture of Gibson for their series of collectable black-and-white pictures of movie stars, saying that to her he was more than a friend bla bla bla.

On the subject of Polanski, I do think it is quite important to separate the director from the individual. What he did was unforgivable and dreadful and of course I don't condone it in any way, but Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown should be allowed to exist as works of art in their own right. Likewise Pirandello was a fascist and Elia Kazan a McCarthyite, but both were great artists. I can see that Foster, as an actor, might want to work with a great director and could still find his actions abhorrent; that doesn't seem too big a stretch to me.

Posted by: Caspar at March 18, 2011 6:01 AM

Mel Gibson say bad words in fit of rage. Hulk only turn green. Hulk have no tolerance for bad words. No matter Mel Gibson racist or not racist. Hulk no care. Hulk will call Mel Gibson racist anyway. Hulk love look politically correct. Hulk get more hip friends.

Posted by: HULK at March 18, 2011 7:14 PM

How hated IS Mel in H'wood though, really? Do you know for sure? Can you give us a rating, on a scale of 1 to 10? Is there any crime you could commit that's so egregious that nobody would work with you if you're capable of a $35 million opening?
You can be an alcoholic, you can do a busload of blow, you can consort with hookers, you can be a raging bigoted egomaniac, you can be stone crazy and as long as you attract eyeballs, you've got a job.
Well, there's that whole calling-your-boss-an-idiot-in-public thing. THAT crime gets you canned.
Right, Charlie?

Posted by: Bleach cosplay costumes at April 5, 2011 5:36 AM