Folks were talking about more than the dilemma of dating at age 60 at the AARP-sponsored premiere of “Boynton Beach Club” Tuesday evening.
Some stars - who've been around the Hollywood round-about a few times - weighed in on Mel Gibson’s recent DUI and his well-publicized anti-Semitic tirade.
Sally Kellerman sounded circumspect on the whole Mel mess. “We all have our prejudices that we must quietly work on. Even those who don’t think they have any. And we must also work at not being prejudiced towards those who are. I went to the Museum of Tolerance and there are two doors you must walk through. One is for those who have no prejudice. The other door is for those with prejudice. Of course, the door for those without is locked.”
She’s also mindful of the Oscar-winning actor/director/producer's background.
“I know that Mel grew up in a home with a father who said there was no holocaust. That’s just tragic. I do not condone or respect what he said. I feel sorry for him. To view the world like that is a big loss for him. My upbringing was that God loves all of us, not just Jews or Christians.”
Dyan Cannon had no thoughts on Gibson’s predicament. “I’m not clear about what he said or who he said it to. So I will just wish him well and hope that it all goes well for him. I’ve learned never to pass judgment. There’s a great saying, 'Unless you’ve walked a mile in my shoes, don’t judge me.'"
But Brenda Vaccaro had advice. “He should go to rehab. It's so sad. And the less we comment on it, the better. I feel bad for him. Anyone who is an alcoholic has terrible problems. I don’t know because I don’t drink. So it's hard for us who don’t have a problem to tell someone who drinks what to do.”
“If you want to age well, one thing you should not do is drink and then drive,” counseled premiere guest Lee Majors. “I wish I could reach out to him and do something about it. But it’s hardly a death bell. People have come back from much worse. I sympathize with Mel and I hope he can bounce back from this. And people forget. Johnny Depp and Charlie Sheen, they all had a few rough times. But we don’t remember it in a month.”
Maybe. But trashing a New York hotel room, as Depp was rumored to have done a few years ago when dating Kate Moss, isn’t quite the same. If he did do it, he wasn’t endangering anyone, unless you count a couple of lamps and a chair. And he didn’t go off and blame "the Jews" for “causing all the wars in the world.”
So here’s my opinion, for what it’s worth. You’ve recanted and apologized enough, Mel. Maybe one too may times. Now shut up and go to rehab. Take the cotton out of your ears. Put it in your mouth. In time, people may want to listen to what you have to say again.
Photo Credits: "Boynton Beach Club" stars Len Cariou, Dyan Cannon, Brenda Vaccaro and Sally Kellerman are no spring chickens. But they look pretty plucking good. And these gals have some advice for Mad Max.
WireImage/Jesse Grant
