Jodie Foster Defends 'Kind' Mel Gibson

With all the attention Mel Gibson is getting, and all the bad publicity going along with it, Mel Gibson needs his friends. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jodie Foster has given him support, saying Gibson is "honest, loyal [and] kind".

The Los Angeles Times interview with Jodie Foster addressed her feelings towards the situation, as well as her window into Gibson's past battles with alcoholism. Foster divulged "Someone told me what had happened, and I said, 'That is just so not true,'" When it was confirmed, Foster described Gibson as "one of the nicest, most honest men I have ever met,", and was deeply saddened by the incident.

Foster went on to proclaim "Is he an anti-Semite? Absolutely not," Foster said. "But it's no secret that he has always fought a terrible battle with alcoholism. I just wish I had been there, that I had been able to say, 'Don't do it. Don't take that drink.'"

About the alcoholism which Mel Gibson has been challenged with, Foster said "It is a horrible disease, and it affects everyone differently. I do not have personal experience with addiction, but I have seen it take many paths in people I know. For some, it is a soft slide off the barstool, and some experience true psychotic episodes."

Producer Dean Devlin, while supporting Gibson, did dish that "I have been with Mel when he has fallen off, and he becomes a completely different person. It is pretty horrifying." Devlin went on to say "I consider Mel one of my best friends in Hollywood. The day this happened, my wife had gotten this long letter from Mel full of congratulations [for the birth of the Devlins' first child] and talking about the joys of being a parent. She's Jewish. I'm Jewish. If Mel is an anti-Semite, then he spends a lot of time with us, which makes no sense. But he is an alcoholic, and while that makes no excuse for what he said, because there is no excuse, I believe it was the disease speaking, not the man."

Despite being embattled with this drunk-driving charge and the anti-Semitic tirade associated with it, people like Foster and Devlin, as well as Patrick Swayze, have lent their support to Gibson in his hour of need. Jodie Foster, star of The Silence of the Lambs, called Gibson "a shining example of how low you can go when you are young and still pull yourself up. He took his recovery very seriously, which is why I know he is strong enough to get through this now."

Mel Gibson was pulled over and arrested on the Pacific Coast Highway on Friday, July 28. During his arrest, Gibson was quoted as saying "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," before asking the arresting deputy if he was a Jew. While more remarks were made, and unconfirmed comments cast an even larger shadow over Gibson, the tape of the arrest will not be made public.

As for Mel Gibson's future, the embattled director of Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, as well as the star of The Patriot, Lethal Weapon, Mad Max and many other films, is set to appear in court to face DUI charges on September 28th.

[Additional Sources: Los Angeles Times]