He's convinced his fans will recognize some of the same energies and sheer physicality in the character of Hamlet that have made his roles of Riggs and Max in the movies ``Lethal Weapon'' and ``Max Max'' ies so popular. For me, it would be just a flop, but for him. Imagine if we did not succeed, he could have become a joke in the industry. They liked the name but questioned if he could do it. ``The Gibson name was vital in finding financial backers,'' Franco Zeffirelli had admitted to me in an earlier conversation. He presented it to me like a gauntlet, like a slap in the face. He met me at a restaurant and,'' he gestures with his coffee cup - ``then I wanted to do it. But somebody else got it and I hadn't thought that much about it again until Franco offered me this part. ``I auditioned for it once when I was about 28 and paid it some mind.

(His silences can keep you off balance, like syncopation in music.) He goes on to explain that despite his training in the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney, Australia, he never thought that much about actually playing the Melancholy Dane. ``Oh, yes, I've been sucked into this play ever since I first saw it,'' Gibson continues after one of his quirky pauses.

This role represents his greatest challenge, his greatest stretch, since ``Mrs.

I have been struck so far during our interview by his relatively subdued, reflective manner - quite remarkable by contrast to his customary irreverence and prankish humor. `I EMBARKED upon the bark of the Bard,'' quips actor Mel Gibson, describing his decision to film ``Hamlet.'' It's a welcome flash of the old Gibson humor.

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