Hey, Mel! You took a hiatus from acting prior to Edge of Darkness. Did you get the acting bug back or just lay off the booze?
Well, yeah, I walked away from it after Signs because I just felt I was a bit stale and it wasn’t ringing my bells. So I focused on directing, writing, producing and all that. Then, all of a sudden, I felt like maybe after all these years I might have something to offer again. And that coincided with a very good piece of material — a compelling story with good elements.

Were you rusty at all?
I remember Martin Campbell [Edge Of Darkness director] telling me to tone it down a couple of times, because you forget levels and stuff.

What? Mel Gibson over-act? Never…
It’s sort of like dialling in levels. After that it’s pretty natural. I mean, jeez, you don’t do something for 30 years and forget it. A wise old guy told me once, “Go away,
dig a hole, do something else, come back and it magically rejuvenates your creative impulses.” He was right — there’s nothing better than a holiday sometimes.

How does an old bastard like you shape up after these intense fight scenes?
Ha ha! Well, the only thing I did was order a chiropractor for the day after. I knew I was going to wake up feeling like road kill, and I did. You don’t bounce back as quick as you used to. And the guy you’re fighting is 25, right? He’s taking it easy on you, and even then it’s not a pleasant experience.

The big question is: will there be another Mad Max movie?
Yeah, I’ve talked to George Miller [Aussie writer/director] and we’ve had a good chin-wag about it. We talk all the time, anyway, and I know he’s been trying to do the fourth instalment for years. At one point I was involved, but then it fell to bits. So now it’s probably gone through a lot of changes. But I can’t wait to see it, because everything he does is magic. There’s a touch of genius about George.

You often play characters who are out for revenge. It’s a running theme...
Well, I think that’s a very old theme in a lot of stories. It really is. It reminds me of the Jacobean tragedies from the 17th century.

What? Guys in fluffy wigs?
Those plays were all written by English guys about the Italians, ha ha! It was really weird. In the 17th century, man, those Italians were really vengeful! But it was all the Brits’ doing, you know? They’re all talking about the other guy! And everyone gets it — even the dog!

Huh? Er, are you on the sauce again, Mel?
I mean, it’s an old theme. The hero myth. Something or somebody sets the sphere awry and somebody else has to set it right.


Did you try to channel the original Pommy version of Edge of Darkness?
I watched it avidly back in the ’80s. It was some of the best TV I’d ever seen. But I made a point to not watch it again because I wanted to just try and be truthful. But, hey, if you’re saying that my performance was anything as good as Bob Peck’s [the original show’s lead actor], I’m flattered.

As both a director and a notorious hothead, did you ever boss Martin Campbell around?
It’s hard to let go, yes. You can pull back on it and not be too forceful, and I hope I wasn’t too hard on Martin. I don’t think I was. But if people come to my table when I’m directing with a good idea, I say, “That’s a goddamn good idea. Mind if I steal that?” And they go, “Sure!” And I go, “Okay, thanks.” And Martin did swipe one of my ideas and that’s the mark of a good director — be open to good ideas.

What’s this we hear about you doing a Viking flick?
My first-ever thought about being a filmmaker was when I was 16, and I wanted to make a Viking movie. And it’s odd, because at that age, you’re like, “Well, that’s a stupidly ridiculous idea. How will I ever be a filmmaker?” Talk about a romantic pipedream! But that was the first big, epic, wacky idea I ever had.

Guess that means it’ll be subtitled and spoken in Old Norse or something, right?
Well, I want a Viking to scare you. I don’t want a Viking to say in an American accent, “I’m going to die with this sword in my hand!” No-one wants to hear that! It pulls the rug right out from under you. I want to see some big, hairy dude speaking low, guttural language, who scares the crap out of me, come galloping up to my house on a horse with a sword!

Clearly you’re a history buff.
I love it, yeah. I like trying to imagine what it was like, especially when we don’t have a clear picture of it. Maybe romanticise it, make it compelling for film, and maybe even push it a little over-the-top.

Well, it’s awesome to see you back in the saddle kicking arse again, Mel.
Thanks. It was just time. I just felt like doing it. It was my first love, you know? I used to love doing it. And if the tarnish is on it, and the glow goes off it, you kind of walk away for a while. But when it’s time to come back, you come back.