Mel Gibson is one of the finest actors and directors in Hollywood. He is a prominent figure in America whose work on the silver screen and behind the camera has gained him immense love and praise from fans and critics alike. Gibson has a knack for creating action-packed, thriller, and engaging films, and he remains on top of his A-game in the industry. His movies have given the audience a new cinematic experience, making him the most in-demand creative visionary in showbiz.

He acquired worldwide fame for his 2006 historical epic film Apocalypto which he co-wrote and directed. The movie received critical acclaim for its strong screenplay and the remarkable performance of its star-studded cast. Nevertheless, in an intriguing anecdote, the Braveheart movie star revealed that the scene where the back jaguar was chasing Jaguar Paw, played by actor Rudy Youngblood was an authentic shot.

Mel Gibson Claims The Jaguar Chasing Scene in Apocalypto Was Real

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson has built an epic filmography record filled with projects across all genres. His movies have dominated the box office numbers and allowed him to collaborate with the finest stars, directors, and writers. The Passion of the Christ film director has a unique analytical and story-telling approach that makes his films even more fascinating.

In 2006, he directed the historical epic film Apocalypto. The film had all the creative and aesthetically appealing shots, but some of the action sequences in the movie left the audience stunned.

Mel Gibson talks about Rudy Youngblood’s jaguar chase shot in Apocalypto

Mel Gibson earned critical acclaim for his exceptional directional techniques and received a positive response from the audience. However, many shots in the film were quite dangerous, as the director once revealed that the black jaguar chase shot was real as actor Rudy Youngblood, who played Jaguar Paw in the movie, filmed the sequence in reality.

“The jaguar was completely wild. They can’t be trained. People thought that thing wasn’t in the shot. They thought we put the jaguar in later, but it was actually chasing the guy. It was on a leash, on a line, and you could put brakes on him if you needed to,” he explained.

Mel Gibson’s directorial Apocalypto has had a cast consisting of Native American and Indigenous Mexican actors that included Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo, Dalia Hernández, Gerardo Taracena, Rodolfo Palacios, Bernardo Ruiz Juarez, Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza, Ricardo Diaz Mendoza, and Israel Contreras.

Mel Gibson Shares The Difficulties He Faced While Making This Film

Mel Gibson

In a candid interview, actor-director Mel Gibson shared the on-set difficulties the crew and cast members faced while filming Apocalypto. He claimed that they endured many challenges while shooting the film in the jungle, and he did extensive research before making this masterpiece.

Gibson shared, “This film was 8 months of shooting. It was scheduled for 4 months of shooting. We got rain when it was supposed to be the dry season. We had animals, children, a jungle, incredibly difficult setups, make-up and wardrobe, and all that stuff. When you’re dealing with 800 extras you’re getting them in stages throughout the day.”

He then explained the research he did to make his film more realistic, “There’s a lot of books around. There’s a lot of evidence being unearthed as we worked. They were a whole different color scheme and we changed it. Some of the stuff was so cryptic when you looked at it… you couldn’t quite make it out. We had to make things a little bit more readable. One’s eyes don’t just adjust to that unless you lived in that culture.”

Mel Gibson successfully made himself the face of many commercially hit projects. He is considered a global icon whose remarkable contributions to art and cinema are inspiring. Gibson has proved his versatility as an artist who can play and direct films with nuance and perfection.