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Gibson "humiliation" paves way for film campaign
2006-10-13
I'm ashamed that they came out of my mouth," Mel Gibson said to interviewer Diane Sawyer of the anti-Semitic words he uttered during his July drunk-driving arrest in Malibu. "That's not who I am." Making his first media appearance since the incident, Gibson appeared Thursday in a pretaped, two-part interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" -- the second half was scheduled to air Friday. Gibson's televised confession, following what he described as his "public humiliation on a global scale," represented not only his first broadcast words on the subject but also a necessary step in clearing the air so that Disney can move forward with marketing plans for his new film, "Apocalypto," which is scheduled for release December 8. Even before Gibson's arrest, "Apocalypto" posed a tough marketing challenge. Cast with unknowns, the viscerally graphic action movie is told in the Mayan language with subtitles. Gibson, the star and director of such movies as "Braveheart" and "The Patriot," had been expected to be the movie's biggest selling point, but after all the attention paid to his Pacific Coast Highway outburst, separating Gibson's personal baggage from his achievements as a filmmaker also became necessary before the $50 million epic could be released. "The movie needs to be sold properly," said Alan Nierob, Gibson's press representative. "It couldn't have been sold properly if he didn't do this." Marketing executives at Disney and Gibson's Icon Prods. are hoping that because the star has made public amends, acknowledging his battle for alcoholism and apologizing for his remarks, they can shift the focus to the upcoming movie. Some observers might not be ready to absolve Gibson so easily, though. "Mel Gibson appears to be taking some baby steps in the beginning of a process toward confronting his anti-Semitism," Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham Foxman said in response to Thursday's interview. "He's asking the right questions of himself, which is a first step on the road to recovery from prejudice. Gibson still has a ways to go in truly acknowledging his anti-Semitism and the source of the beliefs that led him to utter those hateful words." Cautioned one prominent Hollywood publicist, who declined to be identified: "It's easy to say that they have to put the DUI (driving under the influence) behind them. (But) ultimately it's not up to them whether it's put behind them. In this town, perception is everything." At the moment, Disney publicity chief Dennis Rice is waiting for a final print of "Apocalypto" that he can screen for the press. "I want to be able to show the movie when and where possible, so the media can evaluate it on its own merits," he said. The movie, which was shot in Mexico, isn't finished. Gibson is finalizing the edit, Nierob said, and has to record its score. The studio is planning a wide release but has yet to finalize the number of theaters the movie will play, he said. "Mel Gibson will be active in promoting the movie," Rice said. "Some decisions will be made before November." Even before his arrest, Gibson planned to launch "Apocalypto" with a game plan similar to the one he developed for his controversial 2004 hit, "The Passion of the Christ." And in the wake of the arrest, he plans to stick to that approach. For "Passion," Gibson submitted to only three TV interviews. Nierob is now fending off offers from countless TV shows and will be selective, he said. "Everyone wants to talk to him, which is a nice place to be," he said. But, he added, "anyone who wants to talk to him about issues surrounding his DUI will be referred to ABC for transcripts." It is unlikely that the director will do a press junket because he hasn't participated in junkets for his most recent films. Gibson prefers to screen the film for moviegoers and do Q&As afterward, as he did with a two-hour-plus rough cut of "Apocalypto," which he previewed last month -- in Austin, where he showed it at Harry Knowles' Fantastic Film Festival, and in Oklahoma, where he screened it for American Indian groups. "It's his version of test-marketing a movie," Nierob said. "Show the movie," he said. "You show it like any studio with a good film. That's the reason he showed it as early as he did. Playability is the easy part." Reuters/Hollywood Reporter Muzi.com News
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