"He's not the kind of guy who says he's sorry, then does the same thing again," says friend Tom Sherak of Gibson (10 days before his arrest). Photo by: GINSBURG-SPALY / SPLASH NEWS |
To the crowd at Moonshadows bar in Malibu, Mel Gibson seemed a genial sort of drunk, the life of the party who topped off patrons' drinks, vodka bottle in hand, posed for cell phone pictures and even doled out playful hugs and kisses to fellow patrons. "He wasn't falling down drunk, but the kind of tipsy where you just want to love everyone," says one guest who partied with the middle-aged movie star on the night of July 27. "You look really good for a 50-year-old guy," she recalls someone telling Gibson. "He said, 'Thanks. I try to take care of myself. I quit smoking last week.' Then he looked at the bottle of beer he was holding and said, 'But this I just can't quit.' He was smiling when he said it – but it was a sad sort of smile."
A few hours later, the habit Gibson couldn't kick kicked him hard. At around 2 a.m., says another witness who came with a group of friends, "the five of us and a bouncer were walking out with [Mel]. I kept grabbing for his keys. My coworker offered him a ride. I don't know what his reaction was to it. Then we left."
