Andrew Garfield: Mel Gibson 'Deserves to Make Films,' 'People Can Heal'

Andrew Garfield, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the 2016 faith-based World War II epic Hacksaw Ridge, came to the defense of actor-director Mel Gibson, saying he “deserves to make films” and has underwent a great deal of healing since his infamous 2006 DUI arrest in which he made several anti-Jewish remarks.

Speaking with People magazine, Garfield, who collaborated with Gibson on Hacksaw Ridge, said the Academy Award-winning director has “done a lot of beautiful healing with himself.”

“I learned a lot, actually. I learned that people can heal. I learned that people can change, that people can get help. I learned that everyone deserves respect,” Garfield said when asked about working with Gibson on Hacksaw Ridge.  “And that people deserve second chances, third chances, fourth chances. That none of us are infallible.”

“He’s done a lot of beautiful healing with himself,” Garfield added. “And thank God. Because he’s an amazing filmmaker, and I think he deserves to make films. He deserves to tell stories, because he has a very, very big, compassionate heart. He’s the kind of director that would come from behind the monitors, just with his eyes wet. He knew when it was right and he knew when it wasn’t right. And I just really trusted him. And he’s a visceral storyteller so he can feel… He’s like he can’t help but feel everything. He’s a real empathetic guy.”

Gibson will be returning to the director’s chair in 2025 with the upcoming thriller Flight Risk starring Mark Wahlberg.

In 2006, Gibson issued a lengthy apology to the Jewish community for his remarks.

“There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of antisemitic remark,” he said.

“I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge,” he added at the time. “I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.”

Other actors, including Robert Downey Jr. and Jodie Foster, have publicly come to Gibson’s defense over the years.