An Army Medic becomes the first Conscientious Objector ever to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in Director Mel Gibson’s new biographical drama, Hacksaw Ridge.
Gibson’s film tells the true story of Desmond T. Doss, who was drafted into the Army during WWII despite his refusal to bear arms on religious grounds. Choosing to serve as a medic, he is ostracized by his fellow soldiers for his pacifist stance, but proved his bravery after risking his life to save 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa without firing a shot.
Following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on November 5, Gibson sat down with Director Richard Donner — who had directed him on multiple features including Lethal Weapon, Maverick and Conspiracy Theory — to discuss the making of Hacksaw Ridge. Gibson had previously discussed the film in a conversation with Director John Polson (Elementary) following the DGA membership screening in New York on November 2.
In addition to Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson’s credits include the feature films The Man Without a Face, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto; the documentary Mel Gibson Goes Back to School; and the pilot and other episodes of the television series Complete Savages. In 1995, Gibson was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures and took home Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for Braveheart. Gibson has been a DGA member since 1992.
You can listen to Gibson's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find all DGA podcast episodes here.