Latest Mel Criticism: Unfair?
Mel Gibson has not even said for sure that he will play the Jewish hero Judah Maccabee in an upcoming movie, and already some Jewish leaders are pouncing. One said that casting Mel in the role is like casting “a white supremacist as trying to portray Martin Luther King Jr. It’s simply an insult to Jews.” Mel’s history of disrespect and antagonism toward the Jews is well known. But he is after all an actor. I seem to remember that, once upon a time, Vanessa Redgrave had a history of anti-Zionist remarks and activities yet she was allowed to play a character in “Julia” who helped Jews. She not only was allowed to do so but she won an Oscar for it. (And she was also criticized.) But don’t get me wrong: Mel is no Vanessa, at least in the acting department.
