The story won’t do much for the actor’s explosive reputation.
It is likely that it was an internal partition wall between offices rather than an actual brick wall but the fury and power that it implies is still impressive and rather disturbing.
Gibson was in a meeting with Paramount bosses when he lost his temper and hurled the large glass ashtray right into the next room.
Fittingly enough, it was over one of his most famous films about a legendary warror.
The actor displayed a rather passionate heart as he attempted to get 1995’s Braveheart made. Just as his character cries “They’ll never take our freedom”, Gibson was determined they’d never take his money.
Agent Jeff Berg told The Hollywood Reporter: “He (Gibson) grabbed a large glass ashtray and threw it through the wall. He threw the ashtray through the wall!”
The star himself explained that he was furious over the movie studio’s attempt to back out of financing the historical epic.
The tantrum certainly won’t endear him to fans who are already upset that Gibson is favourite to direct Suicide Squad 2.
Gibson happily confirmed the Braveheart story, saying: “I was like, ‘What the f*** do you people mean? I turned down three jobs, blah, blah, blah.’ I was kind of upset, probably a little over the top. It was all posturing bullsh**.”
The shocking story is in the new biography of studio head, Sherry Lansing – Leading Lady by Stephen Galloway.
20th Century Fox had already agreed to finance two-thirds of the movie’s estimated $ 70 million budget, with Paramount providing the rest.
When Gibson went to meet with Bill Bernstein, Paramount’s head of business affairs, he was offered far less than he had expected, and consequently lost his temper.
The dramatic scene is not the usual way to run a business meeting, but either that or Gibson’s impressive star power at the time, must have convinced the studio.
A week later, Gibson was offered the full third of the budget which he had been seeking fom Paramount.
Braveheart, of course, went on to become a huge box office and critical smash and bagged five Oscars, including Best Picture and one for Gibson as Best Director.
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
