Sometimes, I just don’t know what to do with Jodie Foster. She complains about the downtrodden status of female directors in Hollywood yet refuses to reconcile that she willingly (professionally and personally) associates with those same male directors (who are part of the problem she is complaining about), some of which do very bad things. When confronted with the ultimate character of these men, like say Roman Polanski, Jodie simply states “That’s not my business.” And as we’re all quite aware, Jodie adores and worships Mel Gibson (“I will love this man for the rest of my life”), who believes that he can justify smacking Oksana Gregorieva with an “explanation.” None of this bothers Jodie, however, because she’s promoting her latest ill-fated directing and acting project, a tragicomedy about depression called The Beaver (starring Mel Gibson). As such, Jodie clearly rehearsed ahead of time what she was going to say about Mel to Moviefone:

This was a very emotional film, especially when watching Mel Gibson play such a tormented character. Sometimes I had trouble separating his role from what I know about him in his personal life. Did his personal life affect his performance?

Well, none of “that” happened while we were shooting. His relationship [with ex Oksana Grigorieva] was very happy at that point, and they had a baby during the shoot. I don’t think any of this stuff informed his performance. This is a movie about a man struggling, who wants to change. That’s a part of my life, and a part of Mel’s life. That’s why he can bring such a raw, honest performance to the screen.

I love that side of him – the complex side. He can also do the charming thing, too, like when he’s doing the lighter bits at the start of the film. We needed both of those sides. I don’t know if people can compartmentalize what they see on YouTube about someone’s private life, but I guess that’s up to the individual. Mel is witty, and he’s a good-natured guy. That’s not all he is – he’s incredibly literate, very sensitive, and very feminine in a lot of ways. That’s a side that people don’t see.

The trailer for ‘The Beaver’ differed greatly from the tone of the movie. It made it seem like a dark comedy – which doesn’t quite classify this film, and it’s rated PG-13.

[Laughs] I know. It makes it seem like a heartwarming family film, doesn’t it? I am not responsible for the trailer! [Laughs] My hat is off to Summit Entertainment, because this is the marketing challenge of the century. This is not a mainstream movie. What you don’t want is people going to the theater expecting a comedy, and then realizing it’s not. If people come with the wrong expectation, they’ll say bad things about it when they leave. Ultimately we want people to see the movie they expect to see.

It was amazing to watch the puppet transform – it was almost like it came to life!

That’s a funny thing. We didn’t shift and change the camera that much; we made some framing choices. But we didn’t change its eyes or anything like that.

It did shower though!

[Laughs] Yes it did! We had one beaver that was just for getting wet. We called it the ‘wet beaver.’

[From Moviefone]

Ha ha ha, d’ya hear that? The wet beaver. I bet the infinitely clever Mel came up with that one. You know, since he has so much inherent respect for beavers. Anyway, Mel is reportedly “expected” (although not confirmed) to show up for the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 17. Maybe he’ll bring the wet beaver along for the ride.

Seriously though, here’s what I take from Jodie’s latest words on Mel Gibson. She wasn’t there when “that” happened, and she never saw “that” happen, so essentially it didn’t happen. Because if “that” really happened to Oksana Gregorieva at the hands of Mel, then Jodie would have to admit her own hypocrisy against womankind. So “that” just doesn’t exist to her. Classy.

Photos courtesy of AllMoviePhoto and WENN