Although both GLAAD and Gibson refuse to comment on the tenor or scope of the discussion, Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, characterized it as "a nice dialogue between people who have a lot in common." And at least two of the filmmakers who were present say they're quite happy with how the day went--and not just because they got to meet Gibson's Conspiracy costars Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart.
According to Robert Lee King (director of The Disco Years, part of the 1994 shorts trilogy Boy's Life) and Nicholas Perry (who's slated to shoot Tom Arnold's My Funky Method this summer), the discussion centered on the depiction of lesbians and gays in mainstream films. Gibson did address the Spanish interview: "He characterized it as an interview that really got out of hand," says King. He also commented on Braveheart. "Gibson didn't say, 'Oh, I goofed,'" says Perry. "He just said, basically, 'On the information I had, I did this.'"
Both directors say Gibson stopped short of apologies. "I was relieved that it wasn't a love-fest," says King. "You never know the sincerity of that."
It's unclear why Gibson chose this moment to mend fences. Again, Gibson refuses to comment, but one motivation might be found in the Playboy interview, in which he said he'd been personally harassed for being seen as antigay. "I've been chased by automobiles doing dangerous things on the freeway..." he told the magazine. "It's made me totally paranoid."
While Gibson probably doesn't worry about the criticism adversely affecting his career--his most recent film, Ransom, raked in $132 million, and Braveheart swept the Oscars--the perception of homophobia has been a dark spot on his otherwise glistening Hollywood image. "Being anti-anything, being seen as sort of racist or sexist or homophobic, is seen as a detriment," says DreamWorks producer Bruce Cohen, a cofounder of Out There, an organization of openly gay Hollywood professionals.
Either way, Gibson's willingness to meet with GLAAD marks a growing recognition of gay concerns in Hollywood. Last summer, when the gay community protested Eddie Murphy's appearance on a Late Show With David Letterman broadcast from San Francisco, Murphy issued a one-page statement apologizing for jokes he'd made early in his career about AIDS and gay men. "I deeply regret any pain all this has caused," he said. "I am not homophobic and I am not antigay." And over the years, performers ranging from Bob Hope to Mark Wahlberg have been prompted by GLAAD to publicly make amends.
In the case of Gibson versus GLAAD, the rapprochement is a creative resolution to a feud that both parties seem to have tired of, but it's too soon to know what effect the meeting may have. Some in the gay community think Mel's move is insufficient. "He's left a very bad taste in my mouth. It still could do with a little bit more cleansing," says playwright/activist Larry Kramer. But the tension, which once rivaled that of a Braveheart battle, has eased. "The impression was created that he was the enemy of our people," says King. "Having sat down with him, I don't think that's the case."
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