00:00Where are you going?
00:01I'm going to pick a fight.
00:03This episode of The Hollywood Reporter News is brought to you by Gucci Guilty Absolute.
00:08Mel Gibson nearly passed on directing and starring in Braveheart.
00:12In the early 1990s, post-Lethal Weapon 3, the actor was in his late 30s, or as he calls it,
00:17the Bradley Cooper, Leo DiCaprio stage, and he wanted to be judicious about the scripts he committed himself to.
00:23According to The Hollywood Reporter's executive features editor Stephen Galloway's upcoming biography
00:27of legendary studio chief Sherry Lansing, Leading Lady, which is out April 25th,
00:32Mel Gibson was convinced to direct, and after Brad Pitt was first considered for the role,
00:37Gibson agreed to star in it as well.
00:38But Paramount ended up offering less than anticipated for its share of the budget,
00:43which according to producer Alan Ladd Jr., was not enough to cover the battle scenes.
00:47The studio also asked for a distribution fee of 25% of the movie's theatrical revenue.
00:53Gibson felt disrespected and undervalued, and as agent Jeff Berg recalls,
00:57Gibson, a smoker, reacted like this.
01:00He grabbed a large glass ashtray and threw it through the wall.
01:04He reiterated, just so he got it.
01:06He threw the ashtray through the wall.
01:08They may take our battle scene budget, but they'll never take a freedom!
01:13All right, he didn't say that.
01:15Gibson recalls,
01:16I was like, what the F do you people mean?
01:18I turned down three jobs, blah, blah, blah.
01:21I was kind of upset, probably a little over the top.
01:23A week later, Paramount revised its offer, putting up one-third of a $54 million budget
01:28and taking a lower distribution fee.
01:31Braveheart would go on to win five Oscars, including a Best Picture and Best Director nod for Gibson.
01:37So, what do you think of Gibson's Braveheart?
01:39I had to do it.
01:40During the budget talks.
01:41Let me know in the comments.
01:42For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Paul Gustavlan.
01:44Guys, you know what?
01:45We need $50 million to change this set.
01:47It didn't work here.
01:50Goodbye.
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