Former Hollywood favorite Mel Gibson has had a rough few years, but his comeback seems to be gaining steam as his period drama "Hacksaw Ridge" claimed six Oscar nominations Monday, including one for Gibson himself as best director.
The World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge” is the first movie Gibson has directed in 10 years, since shortly after he was arrested for drunken driving in Malibu in 2006 and shouting anti-Semitic slurs at the Jewish arresting officer. It also follows another ugly incident in 2010 where he screamed racist statements at his then-girlfriend, along with a history of making homophobic remarks.
"Given that the academy hasn’t shied away from giving nominations to Roman Polanski and Woody Allen, it’s clear that, as a group, they’re determined to maintain the firewall between the art and the artist, and even what the artist does on the set and what he does off it," Slate wrote of Gibson's Oscar nod. "But it’s also clear that status is only awarded to a select few, and now Gibson is back among their number."
Gibson's friends, including “Hacksaw Ridge” star Andrew Garfield, say the actor and director has worked to become a better person.
"He’s moved on from it,” Garfield told USA Today. “He’s done so much work internally with himself and externally with those he needed to do it with, that I admire him more than anything. It’s a beautiful thing. And he’s a gift to filmmaking. So this has been a long time coming for him.”
Gibson, 61, also welcomed his ninth child into the world this week, son Lars Gerard Gibson, with girlfriend Rosalind Ross. In a statement reported by USA Today, Gibson shared his joy: “What could be more exciting than listening to the nominations being announced while holding my newborn son! This is truly a wonderful honor.”
Gibson previously told USA Today, “I’m a different person than I was back then. But the thing that remains is I think I could always tell a story.”
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