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Mel Gibson has apologised for what he described as ‘spontaneous thoughtless idiocy’ after appearing to mock a sign language interpreter at a fan convention.
The Braveheart actor, 70, faced backlash after footage from his appearance at FanExpo Canada circulated online, showing him seemingly imitating the movements of an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter as he walked onto the stage.
Gibson was attending the Toronto event on Saturday for a retrospective Q&A about his career, but managed to make headlines before he’d even properly taken his seat.
Addressing the criticism, the Oscar winner admitted that whatever joke he was going for hadn’t exactly been one of his finer moments.
‘Sometimes when you get pushed out on a stage in a spotlight your mind is all over the place, and sometimes spontaneous thoughtless idiocy is displayed,’ Gibson said in a statement to Variety.
‘There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.’
The clip quickly spread across social media, where Gibson was criticised for appearing to make fun of someone who was making the event accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees.
FanExpo Canada also faced questions from some users over its decision to host the controversial Hollywood star in the first place.
Perhaps particularly unhelpfully for Gibson, another celebrity at the convention provided an immediate demonstration of how it was possible to encounter an ASL interpreter without turning it into a bit.
Footage of Reacher actor Alan Ritchson at the same event was shared alongside Gibson’s clip, with fans praising him for stopping to shake the interpreter’s hand at the end of his own Q&A.
Gibson’s appearance wasn’t exactly a cheap day out for those wanting to meet him, either.
FanExpo Canada bills itself as Canada’s largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event and the third-largest pop culture convention in North America.
According to the event’s website, autograph and photograph opportunities with Gibson were priced at $275 each.
The actor has been making appearances on the convention circuit over the summer, having previously attended Fan Expo Boston.
During that appearance, he discussed the long-mooted fifth instalment of Lethal Weapon and why the sequel never ultimately made it to screens.
Gibson has also recently finished production on The Resurrection of the Christ, his follow-up to controversial 2004 biblical epic The Passion of the Christ.
The original film was an enormous commercial success, grossing more than $612million (£450m) worldwide and holding the title of the highest-grossing R-rated film for almost two decades.
Its upcoming follow-up is set to be released in two parts and could potentially mark another major box-office moment for Gibson, whose Hollywood career has been overshadowed by controversy for years.
In 2006, the actor was arrested for driving under the influence in Malibu and made antisemitic remarks during the incident.
He later apologised, describing his comments as ‘despicable’, but the scandal had a significant impact on his standing within Hollywood.
Gibson has gradually returned to prominent acting and directing work in the years since, including receiving an Oscar nomination for directing Hacksaw Ridge in 2017.