Winona Ryder Knew Mel Gibson was Anti-Semitic Long Before We Did
Winona Ryder, the 90s star who can be seen starring alongside Natalie Portman in the newly released film “Black Swan,” is sharing some not-so-warm Mel Gibson memories. Turns out, Gibson’s racist tirades, which have come into the spotlight in the past few years, actually date back over a decade.
Ryder, 39, whose career was dampened due to a little shoplifting scandal, is now back on the acting scene, and she’s talking about the past. US Magazine reports that in an interview with GQ Magazine, Ryder discusses how 15 years ago, “at one of those big Hollywood parties,” Gibson had a few too many drinks and was acting out. She explains, “I was with my friend, who’s gay. [Gibson] made a really horrible gay joke. And somehow it came up that I was Jewish. He said something about ‘oven dodgers,’ but I didn’t get it.”
Soon enough, Ryder deciphered the racial slur and concluded that Gibson was “anti-Semitic and homophobic.” Despite her experience, Mel managed to keep his true colors under wraps. Where was Winona when we needed her? Oh, yes, shopping.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
