Former Variety editor on Mel Gibson at his best and worst
Peter Bart, the former editor of Variety, weighs in on the billion-dollar divorce of Mel Gibson, who he describes as the most “tortured soul” he’s ever met. Writing on his blog, Bart reveals he has seen the actor at his worst: “out-of-his-mind drunk, shouting denunciations of Vatican teachings. I’ve also been with him when he was subdued and sober, and full of remorse for his anti-Semitic blatherings.” Yet he remains sympathetic; “there is something downright poignant about anyone as messed up – and as talented – as Gibson,” he concludes.