Roland Emmerich has been behind the camera for several huge movies, but when it came to filming The Patriot, the director recently admitted that he was worried about working with “angry guy” Mel Gibson. The movie, which tells the story of a farmer and his son who become caught up in the American Revolutionary War, was controversial for a number of reasons, mainly for its fictionalization of real-life events and anti-British themes.
For Emmerich, however, making the movie was initially daunting due to the reputation of its leading man. This was especially true when he had to “cross” Gibson when casting a young up-and-coming star, Heath Ledger, as the actor’s on-screen son. As he explained to Collider at this year’s SDCC:
“[Mel Gibson was] a very angry guy deep down. So I was really, really nervous to shoot The Patriot because I said, “Oh, Mel Gibson is an Oscar-nominated actor.” The first problem I had was that I wanted Heath Ledger instead of another actor. I naturally had to call [Mel] and say, “I kind of like the other guy.” Then he said, “Well, you’re the director.” And hangs up on me. True story. I said, “Okay.” And Heath said yes. This was a yes for me. [Laughs] Only my sister was with me, and everybody else wanted to have the other guy. After three days, he actually told me, “You were right because this guy will be a major star.”
Mel Gibson Has Been Making a Comeback After Many Controversies
While The Patriot was released in 2000, Emmerich’s comments are notable for the simple reason that Gibson’s career has since become even more controversial than his reputation 24 years ago suggested. After many instances of being blacklisted for his outspoken views, often including some that have been called racist, homophobic, or anti-Semitic, it seems that the “angry guy” Emmerich worked with has evolved into and even angrier one over the years in many people’s eyes.
Despite that, Gibson has stubbornly clung onto Hollywood, and even though he has not been as prolific as was during the 1980s and 1990s, he has continued to make waves for both the right and wrong reasons. Controversy has never been too far away from his choice of movie project, either, peaking with The Passion of the Christ, a movie that is expected to receive a belated sequel in the coming years.
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However, whatever the world thinks of Gibson, he has not stepped too far away from the world of films and television. From roles in movies like The Beaver, to his 2016 Oscar-nominated stint as director on Hacksaw Ridge, and even a dip into the work of John Wick as part of its prequel series The Continental, Gibson has battled to keep himself in the public eye. His next movie sees him back behind the camera again, directing Mark Wahlberg in the thriller Flight Risk, which also stars Topher Grace, Michelle Dockery, and Monib Abhat, and tells the story of an Air Marshal and prisoner being escorted through the Alaskan wilderness by a pilot.