Andrew Garfield defends Mel Gibson and says he “deserves to make films” despite past controversies

Andrew Garfield has come out in support of Mel Gibson, saying the actor-director “deserves to make films” despite his past controversies.

For a Movies of My Life feature in the new issue of PEOPLE, Garfield reflected on several of his films, including the 2016 WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge, which was directed by Gibson.

Asked what he learned from working with the Oscar-winning Braveheart director, Garfield said: “I learned a lot, actually. I learned that people can heal. I learned that people can change, that people can get help. I learned that everyone deserves respect. And that people deserve second chances, third chances, fourth chances. That none of us are infallible.”

Before making Hacksaw Ridge, which told the story of a pacifist soldier who refused to carry a gun while serving in the army, the Jewish actor said he had “deep, important conversations” with Gibson, who made anti-Semitic statements when he was arrested for a DUI in 2006.

“He’s done a lot of beautiful healing with himself,” Garfield added. “And thank God. Because he’s an amazing filmmaker, and I think he deserves to make films. He deserves to tell stories, because he has a very, very big, compassionate heart.

“He’s the kind of director that would come from behind the monitors, just with his eyes wet,” The Amazing Spider-Man actor continued. “He knew when it was right and he knew when it wasn’t right. And I just really trusted him. And he’s a visceral storyteller so he can feel… He’s like he can’t help but feel everything. He’s a real empathetic guy.”

Following his arrest in 2006, Gibson issued a lengthy apology for his remarks, which were shared in the police report.

“There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of Anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge,” the Lethal Weapon star said in a statement.

“I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words,” added Gibson, who began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings following his arrest.

Garfield will next appear alongside Florence Pugh in the tear-jerking romantic drama We Live In Time, which will release in cinemas on October 18.

Last week, while speaking about the film in an interview with IndieWire, the actor addressed why he thinks sex scenes have changed over the years.

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