Mel Gibson has 'fondness' for Danny Glover
Mel Gibson has eflected on the "good friendship" he shares with Danny Glover following the revelation that his Lethal Weapon co-star has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease
Mel Gibson will always have a "fondness" for Danny Glover.
The 70-year-old actor has reflected on the "good friendship" he shares with his Lethal Weapon co-star following the revelation that 79-year-old Danny has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and he always enjoys spending time with his pal, who he noted is more of a "huggier guy" these days.
Mel told People magazine: “There has always been a good friendship and a fondness there...
"He's a sweetheart.
"It's always good to see him. I know he's having some difficulties now."
Mel first spotted Danny in 1985 movie Witness and pushed for him to star with him in Lethal Weapon a few years later.
He said: “I watched that performance and said, ‘This guy is great.’ Years later we bumped into each other at the Venice Film Festival. And I went up to him, and he said, ‘You!’ And I said, ‘You! We got to work together.’
"It was only a short while after that [director Richard] Donner was casting the Lethal Weapon film and he was thinking of grumpy old guys like Brian Dennehy. Brian is great. And then Donner said, 'How about we cast a Black actor?' And I said, 'Danny Glover.' And he's like, 'Who's that?'
"And then of course he came on board and he was just perfect. The Danny we all love. He's actually a sweet guy, although he could play villains very well."
Mel was always in awe of how much of himself Danny gave to a role and how he was never afraid to push himself.
He said: "Comedian Jack Benny used to just walk out on stage and look at people and people would start laughing. And Danny had that kind of stunned look. There's a scene in the first Lethal Weapon, he puts his hand up on his face and he does a Jack Benny. I laughed my a** off.
"I think he commits fully to what he's doing and that's a rare quality in actors. He doesn't hold back. I wish I could do it as well as that. That guy would've been a shining star in any era, he's got the goods."
And the Braveheart star was also amused by his friend's unusual hobby.
He revealed: "Something very few people know about Danny: He was a football player, but he also wanted to be a flamenco dancer.
"He talked to me about it. He said, 'Man, it's cool. I want to do it.' And he loved it, the passion in it. He was taking lessons and stuff. That made me laugh."
