He’s been trying to rebuild his image recently, with his friend Robert Downey Jr. making a moving plea for Hollywood to ‘forgive him his trespasses.’
So one would imagine that Mel Gibson would do everything he could not to remind the public of certain embarrassing incidents in the past which have tarnished his popularity.
The actor has caused controversy by taking a mystery new love interest to the scene of his humiliating DUI arrest in 2006.
Mel was spotted leaving Moodshadows restaurant in Malibu with the unknown blonde last night. The actor exited first by the back door, and was shortly followed by his companion. Mel’s date was tall and slender, dressed casually in a black leather jacket and black leggings.
The pair were then whisked away in Mel’s waiting Smart Car.
Mel, 55, was sporting some rather clumsy looking brown leather sandals, which proved to be inappropriate footwear as he stood on his own toe while trying to get into a car.
Moodshadows is the restaurant where Mel was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2006. According to the police report, Gibson made antisemitic remarks to the arresting officer, saying: ‘Fucking Jews… the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.’
He has since apologised for his ‘despicable’ behavior, explaining that the comments were ‘blurted out in a moment of insanity’.
His good friend Robert Downey Jr. urged Hollywood to forgive Mel his wrongdoing, saying at the American Cinemateque Awards this month: ‘I urge you to forgive my friend his trespasses.’
Unfortunately the Braveheart star had suffered another blow to his reputation on the same week.
Gibson was involved in a car crash en route to Arizona only days beforehand, having left his 23-month-old daughter Lucia – who was staying with him at the time- in Malibu with a nanny.
Mel shares custody of his daughter with his ex girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who he broke up with last year.
A source close to Oksana said, “Mel was in the midst of a four day custody visit and he chose to go to Arizona. We’re told Lucia was left at Mel’s Malibu mansion in the care of a nanny, at the time he crashed his car. When Oksana read about the accident on the internet, she became panicked because she thought Lucia was inevitably in the car with Mel at the time. Mel had not informed Oksana that he was traveling nor did he provide regular updates about Lucia’s welfare.”
Mel and Oksana have received an extension to conclude the terms of their custody agreement, which is still in dispute.
by Milo Johnson
