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Mel Gibson has apologised for what he described as ‘spontaneous thoughtless idiocy’ after appearing to mock a sign language interpreter at a fan convention.
The Braveheart actor, 70, faced backlash after footage from his appearance at FanExpo Canada circulated online, showing him seemingly imitating the movements of an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter as he walked onto the stage.
Gibson was attending the Toronto event on Saturday for a retrospective Q&A about his career, but managed to make headlines before he’d even properly taken his seat.
Addressing the criticism, the Oscar winner admitted that whatever joke he was going for hadn’t exactly been one of his finer moments.
‘Sometimes when you get pushed out on a stage in a spotlight your mind is all over the place, and sometimes spontaneous thoughtless idiocy is displayed,’ Gibson said in a statement to Variety.
‘There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.’
The clip quickly spread across social media, where Gibson was criticised for appearing to make fun of someone who was making the event accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees.
FanExpo Canada also faced questions from some users over its decision to host the controversial Hollywood star in the first place.
Perhaps particularly unhelpfully for Gibson, another celebrity at the convention provided an immediate demonstration of how it was possible to encounter an ASL interpreter without turning it into a bit.
Footage of Reacher actor Alan Ritchson at the same event was shared alongside Gibson’s clip, with fans praising him for stopping to shake the interpreter’s hand at the end of his own Q&A.
Gibson’s appearance wasn’t exactly a cheap day out for those wanting to meet him, either.
FanExpo Canada bills itself as Canada’s largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event and the third-largest pop culture convention in North America.
According to the event’s website, autograph and photograph opportunities with Gibson were priced at $275 each.
The actor has been making appearances on the convention circuit over the summer, having previously attended Fan Expo Boston.
