3 days ago
Mel Gibson hints at potential new Ireland-filmed project: 'It's pretty cool'
Oscar-winning Braveheart director and star Mel Gibson has hinted that he would like to shoot another film in Ireland in the future, saying he has the "perfect" project but that it hasn't yet "gotten legs under it".
Mr Gibson, who directed, produced and starred in the iconic 1995 film which was primarily shot in Ireland, was speaking in Trim on Saturday as part of a series of events to mark the 30th anniversary of the making of the movie.
In an interview with RTÉ News' North East Correspondent Marc O'Driscoll, the Hollywood star said he "absolutely" had plans to come back to Ireland.
"I came back here, I did scouts for another film I was thinking of doing here that never happened, but that doesn't mean it's not going to, because it's still in here," he said, pointing to his head.
"There's a perfect one for it, it's pretty cool, but at the moment it hasn't gotten legs under it. But it will."
When asked for any more details, he kept his cards close to his chest.
"The last time I spoke about this everybody started copying [the idea], they did all sorts of stuff on TV that was kind of like it, so I'm loathe to spit out too much about what I'm up to," he said.
"But thanks for asking. Keep the mystery bubbling!"
Mr Gibson, who portrayed the character of Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England in Braveheart, said the film was his proudest career moment to date.
"I really love Braveheart. I was [in] way over my head. I was young, it was my second outing as a director, but I think I fine-tuned my abilities directing," he said.
The Hollywood star also opened up about working with the Irish Reserve Defence Forces on the film.
"It was fantastic, they were punctual, they were organised, because they were platoons of guys and they all had commanding officers and we broke it down in a military way," he said, adding that they putting on "peat moss on their faces and slapping on dodgy wigs and putting on the dress" before filming scenes.
[There were] a lot of locals - there was a sea of interesting faces and people - some of them we featured," he continued.
"I don't know where that little kid went at the execution [scene] but there's a big old close-up of this kid, he was beautiful. They were all really into it too.
"You have a culture of natural performers here."
The 69-year-old filmmaker elaborated about the intense physicality needed to make a movie like Braveheart.
"I was a much younger fellow then, not that young I was close to 40, but being in front and behind the camera, you had to master a lot of skills," he said.
"It was the first time I ever pulled a hamstring, groin muscle injuries from jumping off horses and all that kind of stuff. It had its pitfalls, physically.
"You had to do it again and again, running up hills and clubbing people with blunt objects - missing them of course - still the effort required for that, or falling over, I fell off horses - all types of stuff."
Careful safety protocols were necessary while making the Hollywood blockbuster.
"It's very precise, you do it with a huge margin for safety, or a narrow margin for error, let's call it that," Mr Gibson said. "I remember, before all the battle scenes, and all the guys out there are having fun, they've got swords and you can still get hurt with these things, wooden objects and so forth.
"I'd yell on the bull-horn 'What's the 'S' word?' and they'd go 'Safety!' I said, if anybody hurts anybody else I'll kill 'em. And they were like, ok.
"So, very few injuries and I've heard these horror stories about when people have gotten hurt, or even die, on film sets, so I was determined that that wouldn't happen. Everybody was taught, all the reserve army guys, were taught how to miss and how to make it look good for the camera."
Mr Gibson, who has also directed The Man Without a Face (1993), The Passion of the Christ (2004), Apocalypto (2006) and Hacksaw Ridge (2016), spoke about his enduring love of being behind the lens.
"By the time I was in my late 40s I was like, 'I don't think I can stand in front of a camera anymore'. But something made me pursue being the storyteller and trying to see it through my eyes. That's my big love right now," he said.
"I haven't made that many films, five, six, I don't even know anymore, and I'm proud of all of them, they're all of a reasonable quality.
"Whatever you do and whatever you make, you leave your mark on it, whether you know it or not, you leave yourself in there. Hopefully I can continue doing that, and hopefully people will still dig it."
