Volume 4 No 2 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

730 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 4:711kicked to the curb.” 44 Gibson’s cameo role would have been different fromthe role that Tyson played in that Tyson was playing himself whereas Gibsonwas playing a character. Thus, Gibson is expendable or replaceable.What does that say? “Even without Gibson . . . the movie’s story lineremains unchanged,” said the film’s director, Todd Phillip, in an interviewwith MTV.com. “Mel was never playing Mel in the movie in the way thatMike Tyson was playing Mike Tyson.”In an ironic twist, Liam Neeson, the actor who was said to replaceGibson in The Hangover 2, had the leading role in Steven Spielberg’s legendaryHolocaust film, Schindler’s List. Also ironic was that the complaintsregarding Gibson came from actors who starred in a film where morals areanything but in high esteem—a film featuring drugs, alcohol, strippers,assault, and complete recklessness and debauchery. The fact that theseactors were offended by a mere small role by Gibson says a lot about howoffensive he really is.The cameo that Gibson was set to play would have been his “comeback,”according to the Post. While Gibson may be a big celebrity, he sureisn’t treated like one anymore. 45But in all the good news there is also bad news to report. In 2010, a 60Minutes/Vanity Fair poll asked the question, “Are you less likely to see aMel Gibson movie as a result of his recent [ex-girlfriend] scandal?” A totalof 847 adults across the country participated in the poll, which that ranAugust 5-7. 46 Some 76 percent of Americans answered, “No, no effect,”while only 20 percent answered, “Yes, less likely.”A few months after Gibson’s antisemitic DUI incident in July 2006, aGallup Panel poll of more than a thousand adults asked respondents howthey approached the films of thirteen movie stars. Participants were asked ifthey would make a special effort to see movies the star appears in, considerit, or avoid seeing it altogether. For Gibson, the results were: 26 percent ofAmericans said “Make special effort,” 57 percent “Would consider seeingit,” and only 15 percent “Would avoid seeing it.” The biggest percentagesof people said they wouldn’t see a Tom Cruise film at 34 percent, more thandouble the percent of Gibson. For “Make special effort,” Gibson ranked 644. “ ‘Hangover’ Ax Burns Mel Gibson,” New York Post, October 23, 2010,