Mel Gibson denied making antisemitic comments toward Winona Ryder, but the actress says she has a 'vivid memory' of it

• Winona Ryder has released a statement to Variety insisting that Mel Gibson made antisemitic and homophobic remarks at a party in the 1990s, saying the incident was a "vivid memory" for her.
• The statement came after a Gibson representative told Variety that Ryder's claims were "100% untrue."
• Gibson's representative said: "She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she's lying about it now."
• Ryder had spoken about the incident in the past, but the story resurfaced after Ryder discussed it in an interview with The Times of London.
• "Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?' And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'" Ryder told The Times.

Winona Ryder has released a statement insisting that Mel Gibson made antisemitic and homophobic remarks to her at a party in the 1990s, claims a Gibson representative said were "100% untrue."

In the statement to Variety, Ryder provided more context about the incident, which she described years ago and again recently in an interview with The Times of London.

"I believe in redemption and forgiveness and hope that Mr. Gibson has found a healthy way to deal with his demons, but I am not one of them," she told Variety. "Around 1996, my friend Kevyn Aucoin and I were on the receiving end of his hateful words. It is a painful and vivid memory for me. Only by accepting responsibility for our behavior in this life can we make amends and truly respect each other, and I wish him well on this lifelong journey."

Aucoin, a makeup artist, died in 2002. Ryder was responding to Gibson's own statement to Variety, which he made via a representative.

"This is 100% untrue," the representative said. "She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she's lying about it now."

Ryder previously spoke out against Gibson in a GQ interview in 2010, but her story resurfaced this week after she spoke about it in an interview with The Sunday Times.

"Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?' And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'" Ryder told The Times.

She said Gibson later "tried to apologize" to her for his remarks, but Gibson's camp also disputes this. Instead, the representative told Variety that Gibson approached Ryder "many years ago to confront her about her lies and she refused to address it with him."

Ryder's GQ interview came following an uproar over other antisemitic comments by Gibson. During a 2006 DUI arrest, Gibson was recorded saying: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world!"

Gibson called this incident a "breakdown" when he addressed the issue in a 2016 Variety interview.

"It was an unfortunate incident," Gibson said. "I was loaded and angry and arrested. I was recorded illegally by an unscrupulous police officer who was never prosecuted for that crime. And then it was made public by him for profit, and by members of — we'll call it the press. So, not fair. I guess as who I am, I'm not allowed to have a nervous breakdown, ever."

Two people with knowledge of the production told TheWrap that Gibson wouldn't be returning to voice his "Chicken Run" character, Rocky, in the coming Netflix sequel. The reasons for this are unknown, but the filmmakers are looking at other actors for the role.

It is unknown whether any of the other "Chicken Run" voice cast, which included Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, and Timothy Spall, will return for the sequel.

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