Highlights
- Despite controversies, Mel Gibson continues to work in Hollywood.
- Gibson and Heath Ledger formed a bond while working together on "The Patriot".
- Their friendship allegedly ended when Ledger starred in "Brokeback Mountain" against Gibson's advice.
- Gibson has a history of helping young stars battling personal demons.
Over the last several years, there has been a lot of talk about celebrities like T.J. Miller being canceled. Despite that, Mel Gibson continues to work both behind and in front of the camera. A big portion of the reason for that is the fact that Gibson has so many Hollywood connections.
During Heath Ledger's career, there were rumors about his relationships with his co-stars. However, while some co-stars don't get along, Ledger once became pals with Gibson when they worked together. After Ledger and Gibson bonded, their relationship allegedly was ruined because of Brokeback Mountain.
Did Heath Ledger And Mel Gibson's Friendship End Over Brokeback Mountain?
At first glance, the idea that Heath Ledger and Mel Gibson were friends may seem strange. However, putting aside the controversies, it is pretty easy to see how Gibson and Ledger could have become close at one point.
In the year 2000, The Patriot was released with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in the starring roles. During the production of that film, Ledger and Gibson got to know each other. As two people with a passion for acting who spent a lot of their youth living in Australia, Gibson and Ledger likely had a lot in common.
How successful was The Patriot according to The Numbers?
The Patriot | 2000 | |
Production Budget: $110,000,000 | Domestic Box Office: $113,330,342 | Worldwide Box Office: $215,300,000 |
No matter what led to Ledger and Gibson becoming friends, the interesting thing is how their relationship ended. While it is important to note that neither Gibson nor Ledger spoke about their friendship ending, their bond reportedly was severed due to a movie role.
Mere days after Ledger passed away, The New York Daily News published an article about his relationship with Gibson. According to that report, their relationship ended because Ledger starred in Brokeback Mountain even though Gibson told him not to.
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For their report, The New York Daily News cited a private investigator named Paul Barresi. The article also claimed that Gibson was against Ledger starring in Brokeback Mountain over a moral stand the elder actor took against the film.
"Ledger and Gibson had grown close while filming “The Patriot,” in which Ledger played Gibson’s son. 'Ledger asked Gibson whether he should take the role of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback,' Barresi says a 'major Hollywood producer' told him. 'Gibson strongly counseled against it. The role apparently ran counter to Gibson’s morality. And he felt that it would ruin Heath’s career.'"
At the time of The New York Daily News' report, Gibson's representatives denied the story. As The New York Daily News reported, Gibson's team told them that their report was “a complete crock of s-”.
According to Barresi, Gibson took the end of his relationship with Ledger very hard. “When Gibson parted ways with Heath, it broke his heart."
Of course, Gibson's alleged belief that Brokeback Mountain would ruin Ledger's career turned out to be wrong. As anyone familiar with Ledger will know, his career went to another level due to the acclaim the actor's Brokeback Mountain performance garnered.
Based on Gibson's own remarks, his relationship with Ledger didn't get better after Brokeback Mountain was a hit. During an interview, Gibson spoke about losing contact with Ledger for years. Gibson also once spoke about the regret he felt that he didn't reach out to Ledger near the end.
What Did Mel Gibson Say About Heath Ledger's Passing?
On January 22nd 2008, Heath Ledger passed away far too early in life. After the actor's passing, it was concluded that Ledger passed away from an accidental overdose. "Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine."
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Roughly a year after Ledger's passing, Gibson was interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel in February 2009. During the resulting conversation, Gibson spoke about regretting that he didn't get Ledger the help he needed before the younger actor's passing.
"I should have called him years before. I didn't really know the ins and outs of what was up with him, but I don't believe it was just an accident."
Gibson then went on to speak about reflecting on what he could have done for Ledger if they had been in contact. Based on what Gibson told Kimmel, he believed he might have been able to make a difference in the events that led to Ledger's tragic passing.
Who were Heath Ledger's celebrity friends?
- Ben Harper
- Busy Philipps
- Christian Bale
- Colin Farrell
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Johnny Depp
"Maybe I coulda called him... When you see sort of an impending tragedy or something that might go wrong, it just felt like I should do something about it."
Has Mel Gibson Helped Young Stars Before?
When someone passes away in the way that Ledger did, it is natural for people who knew them to wonder if they could have done something. In reality, people who make the mistakes that Ledger made have to be the ones to help themselves.
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While people who abuse substances have to want to get clean, that doesn't mean the people in their lives can't do anything. In most cases, the best thing that the loved ones of people who are struggling like that can do is be there for them.
During Mel Gibson's time in the public eye, he has severely tarnished his reputation on several occasions. Despite that, Gibson has done good things in his life. One notable example of that is the fact that Gibson has offered aid to several young stars who were battling personal demons.
In 2021, an extremely close associate of Britney Spears' revealed that Gibson once reached out to offer her help. "I remember Mel Gibson was one of them, telling her that Christianity would save her and to turn back to God. It was all quite surreal.”
Robert Downey Jr. is by far the most notable celebrity Gibson helped. When Downey Jr. was honored at the American Cinematheque ceremony in 2011, he spoke about how Gibson saved his life. After the two actors worked together on the 1990 film Air America, Gibson urged Downey Jr. not to give up in his battle to get sober.
“When I couldn’t get sober, Mel told me not to give up hope, and he urged me to find my faith. It didn’t have to be his or anyone else’s, as long as it was rooted in forgiveness.”
While Downey Jr. wasn't able to find lasting sobriety until years later, he has credited Gibson with making a big difference. Downey Jr. even tried to repay the favor by publicly advocating for Hollywood to forgive Gibson's controversies.
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