Mel Gibson returns to acting with “Edge of Darkness,” his first lead role since 2002’s “Signs.” The reason for such a long break is simple, he insists: He got bored. “I walked away from [acting] after ‘Signs’ because I just felt I was a bit stale. It wasn’t ringing my bells,” Gibson says. “I was just tired and bored with it, you know?”
Quitting is something very much on Gibson’s mind these days, since at the time of our interview he was nine days into quitting smoking. “The first three days, I was like an ax murderer,” he confides. “It is a hellish habit to break. Your neurons are involved. My mother smoked, I think, when I was in her womb.”
And while he’s sure he’s done for good, he doesn’t exactly sound happy about it. “There’s no more fun things left,” Gibson says. “I just don’t do anything fun anymore. But that’s dying, isn’t it? I mean, you die in stages. You let things go in pieces.”
Even so, quitting smoking was probably a good idea if he’s going to take on more films like “Edge of Darkness,” in which he plays a veteran cop trying to solve his daughter’s murder — and getting into plenty of scrapes along the way. One particular fight scene called for some preparation, Gibson admits. “I ordered a chiropractor for the day after, because I knew I was going to wake up like roadkill, and I did,” he says. “You don’t bounce back as quick as you used to, and that guy’s 25 and he’s taking it easy on me. It’s not a pleasant experience.”
