Quotables: Mel Gibson Finally Breaks His Silence

“It’s one terribly awful moment in time, said to one person in the span of one day, and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life. If I could make that choice again, I’d make a different choice. … I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality – period. I don’t blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. [As for acting], I could easily not act again. It’s not a problem. I’m going to do something now because I want to do it and because it’s fun. I’ve already pulled another job and it’s going to be fun. I don’t know if it’s going to get off the ground, but I’m going to go work for [Best Picture Oscar winner Braveheart’s screenwriter] Randy Wallace again. He’s got this script and he’s had it for years. He wrote some book and he’s adapted it to a script. And it’s almost like Alexander Dumas — like that swashbuckler kind of stuff.”

I still think that a lot of what Mel was recorded saying on those audio tapes – edited or not – were a cacophony of just shit-awful things that will always be floating out there, waiting to bite him in one way or another, but I can understand where he’s coming from when he talks about trying to get out of a bad relationship, things getting all heated up in the moment. If you’ve lived past the age of seventeen, you’ve probably had a bad experience with a relationship, and if you haven’t, well good for you. Your time will probably come, too.  I’m not saying Mel is a reformed person with an entirely different outlook on other people and their feelings, but what I am saying is that everyone makes mistakes – even fucking swollen, nasty epic ones – at certain points in their lives.

That being said, I do hope he returns to acting, because he is quite talented, but he’s right – it’s gotta be on his terms, doing what he wants to do to be happy. Aren’t we all entitled to our own happiness, mistakes in the past or not?