CNN
Posted: December 2000
"What Women Want" sends Mel Gibson into a battle of the sexes, and the other side is armed with heavy artillery.
In the film, opening Friday, Gibson plays a sexist advertising executive whose new boss, played by Helen Hunt, tells him to come up with an ad campaign targeting women. Armed with a stack of estrogen-inspired products, Gibson tries to learn how the other side thinks. He waxes his legs, tries on pantyhose, polishes his nails, yet has no plan of attack.
Then a freak accident gives his campaign a secret weapon: the ability to hear the thoughts of women.
He recently talked to CNN about his latest on-screen struggles, plus shed light on that great mystery in life the secret to putting on women's clothes.
CNN: Which women's products baffled you the most?
Mel Gibson: Bath beads. I don't get them. What are those things floating around in the bath for?
CNN: What was your most challenging scene? What were you most nervous about?
Gibson: When we kicked off, Nancy (director Nancy Meyers) scared the hell out of me. She said, "You know dying is easy, comedy is hard, don't you?" I'm like, "Why'd you have to go and say that?"
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CNN: Meyers did say that the one time she did not direct you was during the scene in which you put on pantyhose. Why?
Gibson: I was kind of accustomed to it, because many years ago, when I was at drama school, the day-to-day uniform was a leotard -- you just lived in a leotard for three or four years -- so I was used to that. It's only now that I'll admit to that.
Gibson's character Nick Marshall pursues his feminine side in "What Women Want"
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Did I just say all that out loud?
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CNN: Talking about your drama-school days: You used to room with Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush (best actor, "Shine," 1996).
Gibson: He was a funny guy. He came from Queensland (Australia) ... and he'd gone to clown school. ... I'm saying, "Are you kidding me? There's clown school? Like big shoes and red noses?" He says, "No, more like the comedia del arte -- the Italian, the French." ... He's an incredibly gifted guy, as we all know.
CNN: Getting back to film's theme: As a parent, would you want to hear the thoughts of your children?
Gibson: Yeah, sometimes. One can hear almost anything from children and not be offended, if they're yours ... and I think they want to be heard. Even if they're not too cooperative about it, they still want to be heard.
CNN: Did you see the recent scientific study that says men only listen with half of their brain?
Gibson: Yeah, I saw it. It makes sense. I think I'm guilty of that; I really have to stop everything to focus.
CNN: If your thoughts were audible during this interview, what would they be?
Gibson: "That Sherri Sylvester, she's a slippery one. She's gonna ask me some curly questions here. How am I gonna get around her? How am I gonna win? How am I gonna come off not looking like a ---"
Did I just say all that out loud?
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