Winona accuses Mel Gibson of making anti-semitic, homophobic remarks

Winona Ryder

American actor Winona Ryder has accused actor, filmmaker Mel Gibson of making anti-semitic and anti-gay comments in an interview. According to Variety, in an interview with The Sunday Times, the 'Stranger Things' star was asked by a reporter if she had experienced anti-semitism in the industry and she responded with several examples.

The 48-year-old star explained, "I have... in interesting ways. There are times when people have said, 'Wait, you're Jewish? But you're so pretty!' There was a movie that I was up for a long time ago, it was a period piece, and the studio head, who was Jewish, said I looked 'too Jewish' to be in a blue-blooded family." The 'Destination Wedding' star also recounted a disturbing run-in with Mel Gibson at a party in 1995.

She said, "We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends. And Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?' And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'"

Ryder said that Gibson "tried" to apologise later on. A spokesman for Gibson did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Gibson had another notable anti-semitic outburst, when a police report revealed that he said "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world!" during a July 2006 DUI arrest.

The 'Apocalypto' director told Variety in 2016 that, "It was an unfortunate incident. I was loaded and angry and arrested. I was recorded illegally by an unscrupulous police officer who was never prosecuted for that crime. And then it was made public by him for profit, and by members of - we'll call it the press. So, not fair. I guess as who I am, I'm not allowed to have a nervous breakdown, ever."

Ryder said in the interview that he is "not religious, but I do identify. It's a hard thing for me to talk about because I had family who died in the camps, so I've always been fascinated with that time."

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