Mel Gibson dropped from new movie over Winona Ryder's "lies"

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Mel Gibson dropped from new movie over Winona Ryder's "lies"

Writer: Florey DM

Mel Gibson denies that Winona Ryder's disturbing claims about him are true.

24 Jun – Anyone who's followed Mel Gibson's Hollywood career over the years would know that the actor is no stranger to controversies.

His anti-Semitic and homophobic tendencies were brought up once again in a recent interview by Winona Ryder. Following that, The Wrap reported that the 64-year-old actor has now been dropped from his upcoming movie.

Gibson was supposed to reprise his voice acting role for the character Rocky in the sequel to 2000 stop motion film "Chicken Run".

Though the sequel was announced in 2018, Netflix has just confirmed its involvement in it, stating that production will begin next year for a yet-to-be-dated release on both digital platform and in cinemas.

Just hours after tweeting about the movie, news broke that Netflix has removed Gibson from the cast.

As mentioned above, this follows the resurfaced claims made by "Stranger Things" star Winona Ryder. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Ryder recounted the time Gibson made several anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks to her and a friend.

"We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends," she said. "And Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?' And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'"

A representative for Gibson has since told Variety that the actress' claims were "100% untrue."

"She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she's lying about it now," the rep stated.

However, Ryder stands by her claims, stating, "I believe in redemption and forgiveness and hope that Mr. Gibson has found a healthy way to deal with his demons, but I am not one of them. Around 1996, my friend Kevyn Aucoin and I were on the receiving end of his hateful words. It is a painful and vivid memory for me.

"Only by accepting responsibility for our behavior in this life, can we make amends and truly respect each other, and I wish him well on this lifelong journey."

Cinema Online, 24 June 2020