“He’s not my friend” - Jason Isaacs reveals reason behind Mel Gibson friendship fall out

Jason Isaacs recently addressed his strained dynamic with Mel Gibson during an interview with Vulture. The actor, known for his role in The White Lotus, reflected on a charity event where the two unexpectedly crossed paths.

Jason Isaacs, who is Jewish, recalled turning down an invitation after learning Gibson would be attending, citing the actor’s 2006 antisemitic remarks:

“He’s said and done some things that are unconscionable and unforgivable,” Isaacs shared.

Eventually, he decided to attend and encountered Gibson in person. He later explained their uncomfortable reunion:

“[Gibson] came up and he said, ‘I was really drunk, man. I was trying to get him to hit me or shoot me or something. I’m having a terrible time.’ And he proceeded to unload some very personal things,” Isaacs recounted.

Despite their lack of closeness, Isaacs admitted to feeling a flicker of empathy:

“He’s not my friend, but — maybe to my eternal shame — I forgave him instantly because he was there making himself vulnerable.”

Even so, Isaacs clarified that forgiveness, for him, comes with caveats:

“I’m not saying I forgive Mel. I’ve seen him once a decade for five minutes, we text each other once in a blue moon about something or other,” he explained.

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Jason Isaacs grapples with Mel Gibson’s film and complicated past

Jason Isaacs also addressed Mel Gibson’s 2004 biblical epic The Passion of the Christ, a film long criticized for its depiction of Jewish figures. In particular, Isaacs took issue with how Gibson portrayed Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest often blamed for orchestrating Jesus’s death:

“I don’t know what to do with the fact that he put a character into ‘The Passion of the Christ’ which is essentially a Jewish demon that doesn’t exist in the gospels,” Isaacs said.

Despite his discomfort, Isaacs acknowledged a lingering sense of personal conflict:

“I have no idea what to do about him. But if he knocked on my door tonight and said, ‘Look, my hotel’s canceled. Can I stay?’ I’d say, ‘Yes,’ probably.”

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Jason Isaacs on managing envy, the weight of fame, and life on set with Mel Gibson

During his honest sit-down with Vulture, Jason Isaacs touched on a theme that plagues many actors but is rarely addressed so openly. The actor spoke about the complicated emotions of jealousy and envy:

“Someone once told me that jealousy is fine, and envy is bad. Jealousy is, ‘Oh, I’d like that.’ Envy is when you don’t want someone else to have it. If I feel the green shoots of that, I immediately redirect to something else. If I wasn’t working ever, it might be a lot worse for me,” Isaacs explained.

Jason Isaacs acknowledged how tempting it can be to compare success in a visually driven industry:

“As an actor it’s really easy to get out of bed and think, F**k, why aren’t I that guy on the side of the bus? Or suddenly being flown in a private plane to Formula One or whatever. I know people who have those things and it’s a pretty shitty life.”

The conversation then shifted to a memory from The Patriot set. A moment for Isaacs, that illustrated the weight of fame in real-time:

“I remember we were in a motel somewhere while filming The Patriot, and I phoned Mel Gibson in his room and said, ‘Dude, come down. We’re doing karaoke in the bar. It’s just the cast and crew, there’s no one else here.’ He goes, ‘No, I’ll ruin it for everybody.’ And I went, ‘Come out to the bar, it’ll be fine.’” he shared

But things changed quickly:

“He came downstairs, and within five minutes the bar man must have phoned someone and the place was full. I became his de facto bodyguard. Women were pawing at him and men were drunkenly putting their arms around his neck. And that’s what it’s like." shared Jason.

"Maybe the financial security would be great. But the rest of it’s awful,” he added.