Can Hollywood's former blue-eyed boy earn redemption? They bonded in 1994 on the set of riotous cowboy adventure when his name was box office gold in Hollywood. Fifteen years later Mel Gibson's reputation has been tarnished by his troubled personal life. Yet Jodie Foster has insisted that she will stand by her friend, describing him as "incredibly loving and sensitive".

Speaking as she promoted their film collaboration, , the actress admitted that the father of eight isn't "saintly; and he's got a big mouth, and he'll do gross things your nephew would do" - a reference to his penchant for practical jokes. Despite his shortcomings, the former child star added that she felt a strong connection with him from the outset. "I knew the minute I met him that I would love him the rest of my life". Her comments came after the 55-year-old was placed on probation for domestic violence. This stems from charges brought by his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

In the drama about a middle-aged executive who suffers from depression and finds he can only communicate through a glove puppet, Mel stars opposite Jodie, who also directed. The shoot took place as explosive recordings appeared on the internet of the 55-year-old apparently verbally abusing Oksana, the mother of his daughter Lucia, now 17 months. And he opened up to the actress about their volatile relationship. "We talked all the way through, about what was going on in his life," she said. "I don't think he told me until it was something he couldn't handle by himself." "I know him in a very complex way. He's a real person; he's not a cardboard cutout. I know that he has troubles, and when you love somebody you don’t just walk away from them when they are struggling."

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