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Joshua Malina has called for Hollywood to “cancel Mel Gibson”.
The former ‘West Wing’ star has blasted the movie industry for continuing to hire the 65-year-old actor despite his alleged previous anti-Semitic comments and argued that although he appreciates the ‘Lethal Weapon’ star’s previous work, there is no need for him to be given opportunities for his career to continue to flourish.
In a passionate op-ed for The Atlantic titled ‘Cancel Mel Gibson’, he wrote: “Gibson is a well-known Jew-hater (anti-Semite is too mild). His prejudices are well documented. So my question is, what does a guy have to do these days to get put on Hollywood’s no-fly list? I’m a character actor. I tend to take the jobs that come my way.
“But—and this hurts to write—you couldn’t pay me enough to work with Mel Gibson.
“Now, I love the ‘Lethal Weapon’ movies (at least the first few). And Danny Glover’s a gem. But Gibson? Yes, he’s a talented man. Many horrible people produce wonderful art.
“Put me down as an ardent fan of Roald Dahl, Pablo Picasso, and Edith Wharton; can’t get enough of what they’re selling. But these three had the good taste to die. That makes it a lot easier to enjoy their output. Gibson lives. And Tinseltown need not employ him further.”
After Mel recently announced he will direct and star in ‘Lethal Weapon 5’, Joshua questioned the whole existence of “cancel culture”.
He continued: “If Gibson is welcomed back to direct the latest installment of this beloved franchise, it may be time to stop publishing think pieces about the power of ‘cancel culture.’ Because if he can continue to find big bucks and approbation in Hollywood, cancel culture simply does not exist.”
And the 55-year-old star insisted Hollywood is “overlooking” many other alleged prejudices the ‘Braveheart’ star holds.
He continued: “It is inarguably true that the main targets of Gibson’s prejudice are the Jews, but what boggles my mind is that Hollywood is also overlooking his profound misogyny and forays into anti-Black racism.
“I wish anti-Jewish hatred alone were enough to get him cast into the wilderness, but, hey, if it has to be because of his other prejudices, I’m okay with that. Let him take the hundreds of millions he’s already earned in Hollywood and retire somewhere nice to contemplate his life choices. I hear the Judean Hills are lovely this time of year.”
But the ‘Scandal’ star didn’t expect his essay to have an impact on anything other than his own career.
He concluded: “I write this knowing that it’s more likely to lead to a boycott by Warner Bros. of Joshua Malina than of Mel Gibson.
“But if that’s the result, so be it. I’ve had a nice career, baruch Hashem.
“It would be great if higher-profile executives, producers, and actors would also take a stand. Then I could believe in this cancel culture I keep reading so much about. And I could also believe that Jews do, in fact, count.”
