Winona Ryder has always been one of Hollywood's coolest actresses, but this week has seen her name trend for reasons beyond her performances. After speaking out against Mel Gibson - who she claims used an anti-Semitic slur against her at a party several years ago - the story has made headlines and led to the Braveheart actor issuing a denial. Now, though, she has spoken out once more, wishing him well on his 'lifelong journey' toward making amends.
'We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar,' she told The Sunday Times Style last week. Winona alleges that Mel asked a gay friend she was with if he was going to 'get AIDS' merely by standing near him, before turning his attention to Winona, saying 'You’re not an oven dodger, are you?'
The term 'oven dodger' is a crass reference to the death camps built by the Nazis across Europe in the 1930s.
This is not the first time that Winona has made this claim. She offered the same unsavoury anecdote ten years ago, in a profile with GQ. Nevertheless, a representative for Mel has now provided a statement refuting Winona's version of events.
'This is 100% untrue,' it reads. 'She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she's lying about it now. Also, she lied about him trying to apologise to her back then. He did reach out to her, many years ago, to confront her about her lies and she refused to address it with him.' In 2006, Mel was stopped by the police while driving and claimed that 'the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.'
Now, Winona has commented on Mel's denial via her own representative. 'Around 1996, my friend Kevyn Aucoin and I were on the receiving end of his hateful words. It is a painful and vivid memory for me. Only by accepting responsibility for our behaviour in this life, can we make amends and truly respect each other, and I wish him well on this lifelong journey.'
On Tuesday, The Wrap repotted that Mel will not return to voice Rocky the Rooster in a Netflix sequel to beloved stop-motion animation Chicken Run.
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