New Film May Harm Gibson's Career [H'wood Bigs vow revenge]

NY Times ^ | 2/26/2004 | SHARON WAXMAN

[SauronOfMordor]

New Film May Harm Gibson's Career

By SHARON WAXMAN

Published: February 26, 2004

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 — Mel Gibson's provocative new film, "The Passion of the Christ," is making some of Hollywood's most prominent executives uncomfortable in ways that may damage Mr. Gibson's career.

Hollywood is a close-knit world, and friendships and social contact are critical in the making of deals and the casting of movies. Many of Hollywood's most prominent figures are also Jewish. So with a furor arising around the film, along with Mr. Gibson's reluctance to distance himself from his father, who calls the Holocaust mostly fiction, it is no surprise that Hollywood — Jewish and non-Jewish — has been talking about little else, at least when it's not talking about the Oscars.

Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, the principals of DreamWorks, have privately expressed anger over the film, said an executive close to the two men.

The chairmen of two other major studios said they would avoid working with Mr. Gibson because of "The Passion of the Christ" and the star's remarks surrounding its release.

Neither of the chairmen would speak for attribution, but as one explained: "It doesn't matter what I say. It'll matter what I do. I will do something. I won't hire him. I won't support anything he's part of. Personally that's all I can do."

The chairman said he was angry not just because of what he had read about the film and its portrayal of Jews in relation to the death of Jesus, but because of Mr. Gibson's remarks defending his father, Hutton Gibson. Last week in a radio interview the elder Mr. Gibson repeated his contention that the Holocaust was "all — maybe not all fiction — but most of it is." Asked about his father's Holocaust denial in an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC, the movie star told her to "leave it alone."

The other studio chairman, whose family fled European anti-Semitism before the Holocaust, was less emphatic but said, "I think I can live without him." But others said there would be no lasting backlash against Mel Gibson. "If the movie works, I don't think it will hurt him," said John Lesher, an agent with Endeavor. "People here will work with the anti-Christ if he'll put butts in seats." Mr. Lesher added, "He put his own money where his mouth is. He invested in himself."

As Mr. Lesher implied, Hollywood is also a place of businesspeople, and Mr. Gibson is a proven movie star, popular with audiences. There are few actors with that kind of bankability, no matter their personal views. Mr. Gibson is also a capable director. So some of the initial reactions to his film may fade over time.

Mr. Gibson not only directed and helped write the $30 million film, but he also paid for it, including production and marketing costs, out of his own pocket, which Hollywood has filled.

As an actor and successful director, from "Mad Max" (1979) through "Lethal Weapon" (1987) and its sequels to the Oscar-winning "Braveheart" (1995), Mr. Gibson has long been a Hollywood pet. But he has also been known as a prankster and a self-confessed abuser of various substances. Many in the relentlessly secular movie industry see his recent religious conversion — he practices a traditionalist version of Roman Catholicism — as another form of addiction.

Last Friday the media billionaire Haim Saban, former owner of the Fox Family Channel, sent a concerned e-mail message to friends about Mr. Gibson and his father.

The message forwarded an article by the journalist Mitch Albom calling on Mr. Gibson to repudiate his father's denial of the Holocaust. Mr. Saban sent the article to, among others, Roger Ailes, who heads Fox News; Norman Pattiz, who runs the Westwood One radio network; and Michael R. Milken, the securities felon turned philanthropist.

Amid the daily dealings of Hollywood, the film and the star have been fodder for unfavorable gossip. Dustin Hoffman has talked to friends about what he called Mr. Gibson's "strangeness" during the ABC interview. The producer Mike Medavoy said Mr. Gibson's religious zealotry made him feel uncomfortable. Mr. Hoffman is Jewish; Mr. Medavoy is the child of Holocaust survivors.

"One question is, `What propelled him to make the movie about the passion of Christ?' " Mr. Medavoy said. "It makes me a little squeamish. What makes me squeamish about religion in general is that people think they have the answer: `I think my God is the right God.' How do you argue against that?"

[SauronOfMordor]

The Hollywood Left will be after Mel. Not only did he persist in making a movie they didn't want him to make, he's making the unforgivable offense of having it be a BLOCKBUSTER

[Petronski]

Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, the principals of DreamWorks...

Prior to DreamWorks, at least, these two clowns shoveled more crap into the American psyche than anyone I know. A pox on them if their 'power' seems threatened.

[cinFLA]

It was stated that his profits will exceed $200 million. He broke the mold - no big name actors and used his own money. No wonder HW is p!ssed.

[RetiredArmy]

Somehow, I don't think Mel is shaking in his boots. I think is faith is strong than his shaking in his boots and he will overcome these people. If the truth hurts them, that is something they have to live with. The TRUTH always is, THE TRUTH, no matter how you try to reframe it.

[Rutles4Ever]

The New York Times thinks this is news? Gibson's been calling it a career-killer for months. He's comfortable with that. But it will only kill his Hollywood career. He'll be able to make independent films the rest of his life with the money he's going to make, and there will always be a distributor to pony up the cash.

[reagandemocrat]

I hope he makes a film titled "September 11th".

[My Favorite Headache]

I went to go see it today for the 5:30 show after Ash Wednesday mass. It is sold out until Sunday. It is pouring rain out for the last 9 hrs here and the cars were lined up a mile. I finally nabbed 1 ticket to the 10:10 show tonight to see it.

I can't recall anything from any major studio causing such chaos over a movie. Not Star Wars. Not Titanic. Not Lord Of The Rings.

The Passion has been low balled by the media saying it will earn around 30 million this opening week. They are on drugs. I predict this to become the highest grossing film ever.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Are they going to ....blacklist him?

[RoseofTexas]

WHO needs the evil friggin HELLywood left?? Mel babe you don't need no stinkin HELLywood Rats....make movies babe and we'll turn out in full support!!...PROMISE! SCREW THE LEFTY TOONS!!

[prairiebreeze]

"People here will work with the anti-Christ if he'll put butts in seats."

Yup! At least he's honest!

Seriously, Mel Gibson has said many times that he was bored with his acting career. That he was led to utter despair by the "secular utopia" of Hollyweird.

Message to Hollyweird: Mel doesn't care too much what you think. He's got friends in MUCH higher places.

Prairie

[reed_inthe_wind]

What makes me squeamish about religion in general is that people think they have the answer:...How do you argue against that?"

Your observation about religion is dead on. But, if you want to answer your own question, then go see the movie.

[dansangel]

I'm sure Mr. Gibson is shaking in his boots. < /sarcasm>

The blatant jealousy is mind-numbing. I saw the "Passion" last night. Hollywood doesn't have the class, vision nor talent to come within lightyears of producing a film that will even come close.

[Angelus Errare]

Always nice to see the folks who always lecture us about tolerance exercise so little of it amongst their own crowd. If he had hailed Castro or called Bush Hitler, they would have made a hero out of him.

[cmsgop]

I think you are correct, This Movie could put Mel in a George Lucas type neighborhood very soon,

[My Favorite Headache]

Exactly. He can star in,direct,produce,and finance any film he ever wants to do or be part of.Hollywood is just gonna have to suck it up that Americans for the most part are tired of their crap and appreciate a movie like this.

[fish hawk]

Pontius Pilate: "what is truth?"

[Dead Dog]

I wonder what part of "out of the loop" do these hedonists not understand.

[Badfoil]

It doesn't really matter what the world's opinion is. One day Mel will be face to face with God at the judgement seat and God will ask him what his faith in Christ is, and what did he do about it. That's all that pretty much matters. Our treasure is waiting for us in heaven, not on this earth.

[per loin]

So the Jews of Hollywood are out to destroy Gibson? I wonder if they will blame it on the Romans?

[My Favorite Headache]

Easily. We are talking a few hundred million alone in the U.S.. It won't be released in Europe til Palm Sunday weekend. Just wait....this will crack a billion dollars and we are not even on DVD yet.