Mel Gibson reveals why he turned down the role of James Bond
Tell us about your role in The Continental, the spin-off series that expands the John Wick universe.
I play Cormac, who is kind of like a mentor or tormentor… I’m not sure which. He’s a nefarious character who’s like a father figure to Winston (Colin Woodell) and Charon (Ayomide Adegun). At least, they perceive him as that when they’re young. But as they grow up, they realise that Cormac is a New York Irish mobster.
They find out that he has been pretty selfish and used them in an ill way. They’re burned by that and want to get even.
How would you describe the style of the show?
They have taken tropes from cinema from the Seventies, like Taxi Driver, and kind of put them on steroids. It’s amped up and hyper-real.
Do you miss the days when you were regarded as the number one sex symbol in Hollywood?
No. The truth is that I gave up on the idea as soon as I saw what that image was going to do to my work. I decided to push the envelope as far as I could about what people expected from me. So, I made Lethal Weapon, and then, I did Hamlet. I did Man Without a Face and followed it with Braveheart. That was my way of staking out my own territory and shaking things up. Now I’m too beat-up and old to be a sex symbol. And, I’m happy with that.
Does ageing bother you?
I do hate the knee-creaking business, but no, I don’t mind getting older. In fact, I like it. It’s more fun to be relaxed.
How do you deal with the continued fandom the world over for your blockbusters Braveheart, Lethal Weapon and Mad Max?
I’m fine with it. I don’t mind being recognised, and people are usually friendly. There’s no real bad part for me. Fame has allowed me to pursue all kinds of dreams.
Is it true that you were once offered the role of James Bond and turned it down?
That is true. I was 26 or 27, and doing The Year of Living Dangerously, when I got a call from Cubby Broccoli. Roger Moore was Bond at the time and I think his price was getting too steep (laughs), so they called me. I just didn’t want to do it. But, no regrets.
Did you have specific goals in terms of the kind of films you wanted to make back then?
I did. I went through a profoundly existential navel-gazing period, where
I wanted to be heavy and meaningful all the time. Most people don’t know some of the serious stuff I did in my 20s. They remember Mad Max, but they forget Tim and Gallipoli. I’ve even risked humiliation by playing Hamlet, when no one wanted to see me in tights.
What made you change?
I didn’t want to make intensely emotional films all the time, and go down the serious actor route to make only period pieces. I needed to loosen up and just enjoy myself. Besides, I loved doing action films that let me get rid of the pent-up nervous energy. Acting was my salvation; it focused my energies, and became my avenue into an interesting life.
How much of your career was about earning fame and money?
I just wanted to excel at acting. There was no master plan. Everything else that came with it is part of
a strange dream. I could just as well imagine myself living in a small house with a broken-down jeep.
You are also a successful director (Apocalypto, Hacksaw Ridge). What makes you keep acting?
It’s my first love. It’s what I started with. There was a time when I felt I had become stale so I took a break. Then, I think some kind of maturing happened. The choices I make now are quite different from the ones I would have made years ago.
What are the kind of characters you are most drawn to?
I like what scares me.
Are you a method actor?
I don’t know what that term means. But, I have a method, but it’s not always the same.
Will we ever see you as Mad Max again?
I’ve spoken to George (Mad Max director), and at one point I was going to be involved, but I’m a bit old for that now.
—Asia Features