Mel Gibson, the renowned actor known for his roles in movies like Lethal Weapon and Braveheart, recently revealed that the directors of his upcoming film, Fatman, advised him to stop eating due to concerns about his weight gain.
In an interview with The Sun, Gibson, who is 64 years old, shared that he had expected to put on some weight for his role as Santa Claus in the dark comedy.
However, he was surprised when directors Eshom and Ian Nelms told him to refrain from indulging in “ice cream and cookies” as he was going too far with his weight gain.
Humorously referring to himself as “reasonably porky,” Gibson recounted how he had asked the Nelms brothers if they wanted him to gain more weight for the role.
To his amusement, they responded by saying that just because the movie was called Fatman didn’t mean he had to be obese.
Gibson also acknowledged his own physique, mentioning his “post-50 years of age insulin gut.”
Despite this, he embraced the directors’ decision and continued filming the movie as planned.
In Fatman, Gibson portrays a unique version of Santa Claus who is not the typical jolly figure but instead a gun-toting hitman.
The plot revolves around Santa’s battle for survival against another assassin after he mistakenly gives coal to the wrong child.
In addition to Fatman, Gibson shared exciting news about the return of another beloved franchise.
He confirmed that Lethal Weapon 5 is “absolutely on the way.”
Gibson recently recovered from a battle with Covid-19 and expressed his admiration for director Richard Donner, who helmed the previous installments of the Lethal Weapon series.
The original Lethal Weapon movie debuted in 1987, and the last film in the franchise, Lethal Weapon 4, was released 22 years ago.
With the confirmation of Lethal Weapon 5 and the anticipation surrounding Fatman, fans can look forward to seeing more of Mel Gibson on the big screen in the near future.
