So far, Gibson seems to be walking the line between devoted filmmaker and religous eccentric. I noticed that they cut to a commercial after Gibson claimed he thought his film was flawless.

Show me a filmmaker that doesn't.
Uwe Bowell is pretty high on The House of the Dead....if anyone would ask him.

Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, etc.

I think he is just a classic example of someone who is very hyper and also has a bad case of ADD.

I applaud a guy who forked over a small fortune out of his own back pocket to make a film that means so much to him.

I thought the interview was very good. Mel is going to make a lot of money on this film but, I don't think he cares whether it is a $1 or $50,000,000.

I've always liked Mel Gibson. I like him more after this interview. I still don't though if I am going to see this film, and I am a Catholic.

Gibson came across well and thoughtful, and was also able to clear up some of the misunderstandings with the film and his beliefs. I haven't decided on whether or not to see the film just yet. I look at it as just another interpretation of the events, nothing more, nothing less.

i thought mel did fine although i did think that sawyer was trying to bait him. one thing that did strike me was when she asked him about his comments about the new york times reporter guy about wanting to kill him. mel didn't backpedal. he simply stated that yes he did make those comments and explained the context in which he made them.

I watched the interview. Kind of dumb to ask that question, what's he going to say, "Yes Dianne, I hate the Jews."?

Seemed a little fanatical and a bit paranoid to me. Didn't he allude to some conspiracy or something towards the end?

he seemed to be against the ropes all night. very defensive. very nervous. Probably all rightfully so after the past 12 months of his life. I feel genuinely bad for the guy that he is taking sooooo much flak for this project. If you want to see the film, go see it. If not, then don't. Just leave the poor guy alone already!

While I too am already a Christian (baptist) I have no desire whatsoever to see this film. The Bible and my mind's eye paint a clear enough picture of what Jesus went through for me. I don't have any need or desire to see it played out on film....

Was it jsut me, or did Mel seem to do a lot of backtracking and two-stepping? Seems like he would start to say something, realize that it was going to make him come off as either an ass or an over-the-edge zealot and would clumsily double back.

Still looking forward to the film. Looks like it'll be great drama regardless of your perspective.

did he mention Mad Max 4 at all?

i'm not religious myself, so i just felt bad for mel because he clearly believes what he says and that he's just making the movie he wants to make. but it does seem "conveniant" that when, in the context of believing so strongly in what mel does, that he could have it both ways. god is responsible for making the movie, but so is mel, after given the time to find the safer answer, when he realized how it sounded. who makes mel's bed? well, god does. were the jews responsible? yes and no. yes, some of them were, but not all and, according to mel, christians are more to blame for what happened to jesus. it just went back and forth like that and i just felt bad for him. he has the right to believe whatever he wants. as a non religious person only one thing stuck out. why not give some context as to why the jews, if the bible is even true, were worried about christ? mel's answer was something like, "it was just not part of the story that i wanted to tell." i guess as a director he should make what he wants, but considering it may be such a provoking movie, why not add that info for the audience? and i never feel bad for the really rich stars who say they've felt like jumping out of a window.

I know he mentioned that he has been slightly nuts in the past and has been in a hospital. I think he was prematurely released. He thinks god and holy ghosts helped him make his movie?? If he had said that aliens helped him make Signs, he would have been locked up and the key thrown away.

Also, what was the comment he made about people with bones through their noses?? What does that mean??

It's his oh-so-politicallly-correct reference to the indigenous peoples of the world who do not follow the teachings of the church. They too can get into heaven! (It's just a lot harder for them )

Seriously, I was never a fan of Gibson, but I think even if I were completely unbiased, I'd come away thinking he didn't do himself any great favors in the court of public opinion tonight.

Always liked Mel and even moreso now. It's very rare to see somebody be as famous as him be so staunch in their faith like that in public.

Oh, and M. Night Shyamalan directed Signs. Mel only starred in it. He didn't say it was "harder" for the people with bones thru their noses to get to heaven. He just said that we're all brothers and Children of God.

Was anyone struck by the fact that the interview was peppered with ABC commercials for Biblical releated TV programs:

Peter Jennings on Paul
The ABC TV Movie Judas

Felt more like a commercial for the movie, and related TV programs than anything else.

The tough thing is that most people who saw the interview are at a disadvantage because they haven't actually seen the movie. I'm more interested in hearing what people have to say after people have actually had a chance to see the damn thing... Who knows what it is until the final cut is released next week.

He seems rather dim, I'm afraid.

But he's got a Best Director Oscar and Kubrick and Scorsese don't.

I just can't believe diane sawyer let that "people with bones through their noses" comment go.

I didn't see the interview but I think people need to lighten up a bit. It's only a movie for Christsake!..He's an artists giving his interpretaion of events. Doesn't mean it's gospel truth you know..

Lord knows we get enough garbage from Hollywood on a weekly basis (Along Comes Polly, 50 First Dtes etc.). It's nice to have an intelligent move for "adults" with an important message..Ya'll need to keep an open mind at least

This is reminiscent of what Marty went through with Last Temptation Of Christ and Oliver Stone with JFK

I at least respect artists who aern't afraid to tackle subject matters that god forbid might actual be contraversial and make you think

Why is that weird? ABC knew who would be watching this interview.

You hit the nail on the head there. The movie will be released next week - it will either be pretty darn good, average or pretty bad - but regardless, in a few months people will forget about it and by the time it hits DVD, the controversy will be over.

It's so odd that we live in a country where the biggest taboos are bearing a breast on live TV and making a movie about Jesus. I guess that keeps the media from taking time to research those really tough topics.

Not that I really care, but just curious how you determined that these are the biggest taboos? Is there some sort of research or poll? Would bearing other body parts be less taboo?

Not explicitly. But he did say he probably wouldn't be doing much acting, if any, in the future.

I thought he came off as a bit wacky, but overall he did pretty good. He did think a lot about his answers, and chose his words carefully.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the film hits theaters. The way things are tracking now, I'm sure it'll open at #1. I wouldn't have guessed that a year ago.

I'm really looking forward to this movie. Anything to do with the formation of religions, and anytime I can see Jesus, Buddha, etc. portrayed onscreen, I am there. The thing I think a lot of people might miss with portraying Jesus, though, is that he had to have been an especially dynamic person, not just some serene ultimate wise man. I'd like to see humor and engaging eloquence, as well as passion, in the personality of an onscreen Jesus. For me, the thing that needs to come through is not "See how he sacrificed himself for our sins?", but instead "See what an example he set for humanity?" But I guess that's just my bias against the whole idea that the main point of Jesus was how and why he died, rather than how he lived and what he taught.

How old was Mel when he went through this depression/suicide phase and then turned to orthodox Catholicism? I would be wary of throwing myself wholeheartedly into any kind of ideology or religion after going through times like that. I don't think that's the best condition to be in when deciding "This is how I'm going to think from now on" - not that anyone should ever make that decision.