Experts: Gibson's Mouth Lethal for Career

 
Celebrity management experts say that Mel Gibson’s apology over his anti-Semitic remarks following a DUI arrest was too little, too late. The arrest took place early Friday morning by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy James Mee, and damage control didn’t fully take place until Tuesday.

When the actor finally made an official statement acknowledging his hateful words, it was 5 days later; 5 days in which all people had to go on were internet websites, entertainment programs, and speculation of what really happened. Experts say that people start to form opinions within 24 hours, and Mel’s delay in responding gives off the presumption that he is indeed anti-Semitic.

Some critics have previously attacked the Australian for being anti-Jewish since the controversial film "The Passion of the Christ". Jewish communities felt the 2004 movie unfairly portrayed Jews as the prominent factor in the death of Jesus Christ. The sentiment deepened after Gibson’s father gave several interviews, calling the Holocaust a fictitious event.

In spite of the controversy, or because of it, “The Passion of the Christ” was a huge success. There was a respect towards Gibson for making a film such as this in the first place; a respect that has now faltered. Gibson’s latest film, "Apocalypto," was set to be released this December, a project he and Disney invested millions of dollars into. With his character already in doubt, Mel’s drunken slurs could jeopardize his career.

Tuesday’s released statement was handled by Gibson’s publicist, Alan Nierob, a vice president at publicity firm Rogers & Cowan. "I want to apologize to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge." The Aussie also said he had started a recovery program to kick his alcoholism and planned to meet with Jewish leaders to “to discern the appropriate path for healing."