Welcome to #FlashbackFriday, where we look at past moments with filmmakers, actors, etc. and highlight something in cinema history that’s fascinating, amusing, or perhaps something you never knew or have seen – you name it.
For this week’s #FlashbackFriday, we are going back almost 20 years to revisit a Mel Gibson interview with Charlie Rose. Back then was a different time for Gibson. He was arguably at the height of his career, coming off the Oscar wins for “Braveheart” and landing major role after major role. Most importantly, this was before major controversy struck the filmmaker.
However, the interview touched on a subject that is always fun to listen to – the roles that got away. For Gibson, when he’s asked if there are any roles he wished he would have taken but ended up passing on, the first thing that comes to mind is “Rain Man.”
“Jeez, I remember a while back, ‘Rain Man’ came. And that was kind of a cool thing,” said Gibson. When asked if he was offered the role that Dustin Hoffman ended up landing, he replied, “I think so.”
Ultimately, Gibson has no hard feelings. “But the great thing about that is [Dustin Hoffman] did it. And he was wonderful in it,” he continued. Wonderful is an understatement. “Rain Man” went on to win numerous Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Dustin Hoffman walked away with a Best Actor statue.
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The rest of the interview is interesting too, as a sort of time capsule. Back in 2000, Gibson was doing the rounds to promote “What Women Want,” which 18 years later, is regarded as one of the more problematic rom-coms of the era. And with the controversy that surrounded the filmmaker later in his career, the questions that Rose asks him are a little cringy. Look, Charlie, I come from the future and Gibson doesn’t have women figured out like you may think.
Listen to the whole clip below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Mx_vGudKk
