“He’s very egalitarian on the set”: Keanu Reeves’ John Wick Spin-Off Director Defends Casting Mel Gibson in The Continental Despite His Checkered Past
Mel Gibson’s casting as the primary antagonist of the John Wick spinoff raised some eyebrows. Casting decisions have often been a subject of scrutiny in Hollywood. And given Gibson’s checkered past of hate speech, domestic violence, and DUI, his getting to play a major role in something as major as The Continental after getting deprived of work for years caused some chatter.
In a recent interview, The Continental director Albert Hughes defended his decision to cast Gibson.
Mel Gibson’s Controversial Past
Mel Gibson‘s career has achieved great highs and endured some bad lows. The actor has had some incredible successes like winning two Oscars for one film and has had some significant controversies.
Gibson has made homophobic comments, ill-treated his girlfriend, made some anti-Semitic comments to an officer while DUI, etc. The revelation of Gibson’s deeds caused him a lot. The actor stopped getting work both as an actor and a director. He was more or less blacklisted from the industry for almost a decade.
Gibson slowly found his way back to the screen and he is now featured in the prequel miniseries of the highly successful John Wick franchise.
Read More: Real Reason Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ Became a Child of Controversy Despite $612M Earnings
Albert Hughes Defends His Choice of Casting Mel Gibson
Due to the aforementioned incidents from the past, Gibson is now one of the most controversial personalities in Hollywood in recent memory.
Gibson’s casting in The Continental was not exempt from negative press. The actor’s involvement in the prequel miniseries of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is not something anyone saw coming. Despite Gibson’s tarnished reputation, director Albert Hughes chose to give him the role of series antagonist, Cormac.
Explaining his decision. Hughes delved into the details of why Gibson is the perfect fit to play Cormac. In an interview with TV Insider, Hughes said:
“What we all are familiar with from Lethal Weapon and all those other movies is those zingers that he has. Those aren’t in the script. That’s Mel. He starts playing with words. In Episode 3, he plays one word in particular that’s real touchy. If you read into it, and you see what he’s playing with, they’re very sensitive issues. I expressed to him, you have to go there, because we’re poking fun at this type of character who is very ignorant [about] where people are from, the crazy uncle we all know.”
Hughes highlighted Gibson’s inherent ability to enhance any character he plays. And that’s what he wanted for Cormac.
Mel Gibson was A Pleasure to have On Set
One of the main points in Hughes’ defense was his perspective on separating personal matters from the professional sphere of things. Gibson as a person has not been the nicest but his acting skills and his passion for what he does are unquestionable; making him a great person to work with. As Hughes told TV Insider:
“There’s a separation of what I know about his career behind the camera, what I know about his career in front of the camera, and what we needed for the role. What I’ve heard for the last 40 years about how he is on set, whatever you may think or say about him, he is a pro who is very egalitarian on the set. He treats people with respect. He talks to PAs, he talks to extras.”
Gibson’s surely has been quite a journey in the entertainment industry. On the other hand, Hughes also hinted at a strong possibility of a season two for the series.
The Continental is available for streaming on Peacock, with new episodes airing each Friday.
Source: TV Insider
