The Future of Mel Gibson in Hollywood

We dont normally report on celebs, but this one seemed un-avoidable. For a week now, it has been difficult to turn on any news channel, open any newspaper, read any magazine, or visit any corner of the Web without hearing about Mel Gibson's alcohol-fueled episode last week. Gibson had been driving drunk and proceeded to make anti-Semitic comments during his arrest. The star has long battled the disease of alcoholism as well as accusations that he is an anti-Semite. "The Passion of the Christ" was Gibson's passion, as an ardent Catholic who has always defended his views as being guided by his religion to reject hate in all its forms. Despite the heated controversy that accompanied "The Passion" to the box office, the movie drew in $370 million domestic ($611 million worldwide), and considering production cost an estimated $30 million, a remarkable percentage of that take was profit. But, Gibson's ability to overcome the hurdles of scandal and personal demons in the past is being called into question in the wake of this shocking news that continues to be inescapable a week later. Gibson issued two apologies and checked himself into rehab immediately following the incident that he has stated concerns and disgusts him as well as the general public.

All other repercussions aside for a moment, speaking to issues of his profession, Gibson's career is hanging in the balance. Several members of the Hollywood community from actors like Rob Schneider to producers like Ari Emanuel have made their outrage known and proclaimed that they will never work with him and are encouraging others to join their boycott of Gibson and his films. All of this boils down to whether or not you believe Gibson is really anti-Semitic as he claims he is not. Actress Jodie Foster starred with Gibson in the movie "Maverick" and has come to his defense saying that though his remarks were terrible, his battle is not with prejudice but with alcoholism. Dean Devlin produced "The Patriot" in which Gibson starred. Devlin himself is Jewish, and he has also come to Gibson's defense, stating that he has a good friendship with Gibson and has never gotten any indication and does not believe that Gibson is anti-Semitic. But, Devlin can testify to the change in Mel when he is drinking and the battle the actor constantly fights with staying on and occasionally falling off the wagon. All things seem to divide between those who have forgiven him and those who see no reason to do so.

With Hollywood so divided on the subject, it's no wonder that everyone is asking what audiences think. Websites of all kinds on news pages as well as entertainment ones are running polls of all kinds to find out what public opinion is of Mel Gibson and this entire scandal since its eruption. Since so much of the word is bad, it's surprising to see that the results of these surveys are finding in favor of Gibson's repentance. For one example, Hollywood.com asked, "Would you go see another Mel Gibson film following this controversy?" 70.13% of users voted yes, and 29.87% voted no. Access Hollywood ran a poll every day of the week, and came up with similarly interesting results. In the first survey, viewers were asked the same question Hollywood.com posed about whether or not they would continue to go see Mel Gibson films after this. 81% of almost 6,000 who voted responded yes, and 19% responded no. The second poll Access Hollywood ran on its website asked if viewers believed Mel Gibson was anti-Semitic. Out of approximately 5,500 who responded to this one, 63% said no, and 37% said yes. For the most part, these statistics reflect much of the results for similar survey's questions and answers on other sites.

If these numbers are any indication, Gibson's career will most likely recover from this. Gibson's reputation is another story all together and will remain a hot and debated topic probably for the rest of his career. However, if the past is any indication, there is not too much cause for Gibson's supporters to worry about his professional survival. There have been plenty of cases where a celebrity has incited the hatred of the masses and gone about their working lives as best they can. In 1966, at the height of their fame, John Lennon publicly stated that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus" rousing the scorn of Christians all over the world. Beatles albums, merchandise, and pictures were burned, steamrolled, and trashed. Lennon made a public apology, but the incident left such a mark on history that it was even named at number ten of VH1's "100 Greatest Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll." Far worse than almost any other example that can be named is the case of Jane Fonda. During the already controversial Vietnam War, Fonda made an infamous visit to North Vietnam in 1972 that consequently made her equivalent to the enemy. The reports, photos, and Fonda's own comments from the visit brought Americans' hatred for her to a boiling point seldom ever seen directed at a celebrity, even making her one of the most hated of all time in the eyes of some. Not only did Fonda continue to work through and after her anti-establishment and anti-war days, but she won one of her two Oscars and earned four of her five Oscar nominations in the years following the scandal. If Fonda's career withstood the tremendous damage to her image, it is very possible that Gibson's will also.

As for where Mel Gibson's career stands at present, there is good and bad news for the actor. Bad for Gibson is that ABC has cancelled its planned collaboration with Gibson's production company, Icon. It would have been a mini-series about the Holocaust, but the studio has cited the fact that they have not seen so much as a first draft of the script in the two years they have been developing the project as the reason for dropping it. The good news for Gibson and those awaiting his most recent endeavor, "Apocalypto," is that Disney plans to release the film December 8th as previously determined. "Apocalypto" is an epic about the slaughter of the Mayan people and the downfall of their empire that is set on a "Braveheart" scale with dialogue spoken entirely in ancient Mayan. Among those coming to Gibson's defense is one of the film's stars. Given all the precedents of celebrity shockers, old and new, there is enough evidence to suggest that Gibson's career will endure. How is up to him as well as the deliberating moviegoers out there. I now encourage you to go to our poll, share your thoughts on this topic and leave your own comments. Poll: Mel Gibsons Future