Can we forgive Mel, enough to give him an Oscar?

This isn’t so much a news item, but something I’ve been wondering for a while now. The next time I see Mel Gibson in a movie, will I be able to forget about all the terrible things he’s said and done? Or more generally, can the public and his peers forgive him?

Well, we might have to deal with this issue sooner than we think. According to an interesting article over at Deadline, Mel’s performance in THE BEAVER, the Jodie Foster film about a man who loses his mind and talks through a beaver puppet, is actually Oscar worthy. Here are some of the most glowing praises:

Gibson is “extraordinary”. One person said, “he gives an incredible performance. If you can forget what happened, and I didn’t have tabloid images racing through my mind watching him, it’s really something. I still don’t want to be his friend but he’s great in this.” Another told me today, “I don’t bullshit about these things. He’s amazing.”

Yes, as it turns out, the movie might be a whole lot more than the genesis of a million sexual innuendo laden blog posts, and what do we, and I guess, the Academy, do if Gibson really has turned out an incredible performance here?

I’ve always been of the firm belief of separating the actor from the person. This has led me to still hold Tom Cruise in high regard, despite all his Xenu-space-craziness. But this does beg the question, where do you draw the line?

Mel has said some pretty horrific things that are affront to a few different races, and his treatment of his girlfriend is nothing short of disgraceful, but are those things we can overlook and still give the man his due as an actor?

It’s an open question, and I’m not even sure I’ve made up my mind on the issue. What do you guys think?