USA: Jodie Foster talks about her new film "The Beaver" and her confidence in co-star Mel Gibson

Record ID: 231674

  • Title: USA: Jodie Foster talks about her new film "The Beaver" and her confidence in co-star Mel Gibson
  • Date: 27th April 2011
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 26, 2011) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JODIE FOSTER, SAYING: "Well, he is the most beloved actor I have ever worked with. Him and Chow Yun Fat I think are the two people that people love more on sets. He's funny, he engages with everyone, he pulls jokes on people. I think there's an awkward moment, we have a little sex sce
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2011 13:00
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  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA21MWYXPF9QCPKQM1PY9XLJHK1
  • Story Text: Actor and director Jodie Foster defended her choice of Mel Gibson for the lead role in her movie "The Beaver," saying she had "no regrets" about hiring him despite his personal troubles that delayed its release.
    "I'm so proud of his performance and so grateful for his performance. I had no idea what people will think of it," said Foster. "No matter what they think of Mel, they always come out saying 'this is an extraordinary performance,' and an incredibly deep one that they had never anticipated."
    Foster's drama was delayed for months beyond its planned U.S. debut last year and had been expected to compete for awards during Hollywood's Oscar season.
    In March, Gibson pleaded no contest to a charge of hitting Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his daughter, as their relationship broke down in early 2010.
    He was sentenced to three years probation, a year of counseling and community service.
    In his first public comments on the saga, Gibson said the tapes of phone calls leaked a year ago were edited. In 2010, Gibson's longtime manager left him and actors on the sequel to comedy "Hangover 2" refused to work with him because of the fall-out of the sexist and racist remarks on the tapes. The tapes were leaked to the media as Gibson was trying to make an acting comeback after making vicious anti-Semitic remarks during a 2006 drunken driving arrest, and the end of his 28-year marriage.
    Throughout his troubles, Foster has defended her long-time friend.
    "We're two very different people yet, we communicate so well together," said Foster. "I think we have this real understanding and this real love for each other. He's very loyal, sensitive and he's a great friend."
    "The Beaver" tells the story of deeply depressed Walter Black (Gibson), his wife (Foster) and teenage son (Anton Yelchin) who do not understand the pain he is in. He finds a beaver puppet one day in a trash dumpster and, when he slips it onto his hand, he is able to communicate more easily in the voice of the animal which, strangely, has a London cockney accent. At its heart, the movie explores complex issues surrounding depression and the impact it has on people and families.
    "The Beaver" had its world premiere at the South by Soutwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas in March. Gibson has not been actively promoting the film, appearing at neither the premiere nor the official media events. "The Beaver" opens across the United States on May 20.
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