Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson have been friends since their first film together back in 1994. They are pairing up in the upcoming film ‘ The Beaver ‘ and while out promoting the film, Jodie talked candidly about her love for Mel in the midst of his personal drama . She shares : “He’s so incredibly loving and sensitive, he really is. He is the most loved actor I have ever worked with on a movie. And he’s not saintly, and he’s got a big mouth, and he’ll do gross things your nephew would do. But I knew the minute I met him that I would love him the rest of my life. I know him in a very complex way. He’s a real person; he’s not a cardboard cutout. I know that he has troubles, and when you love somebody you don’t just walk away from them when they are struggling.” Jodie was on set with Mel the day the “Oksana tapes” came out: “He had a lot of work to do. It was a bad situation. His assistant called me: ‘Come to the trailer!’ And I went to his trailer, and he was a mess. Then he came on set, and he didn’t have any makeup on, anything. He came in and sat down on the chair and said, ‘OK, roll it,’ and did two takes that were just beautiful. Then he got on the plane and left. She says she’s blown away by his performance in the film: “God, I love that man. The performance he gave in this movie, I will always be grateful for. He brought a lifetime of pain to the character that we’ve been talking about for years, that I knew was part of his psyche and who he is. It’s part of him that is beautiful and that I want people to know, too. I can’t ever regret that.” Are you planning to see the movie despite the “Mel/Oksana” saga? The tapes may have cost him a role in “ The Hangover 2 “, but it sounds like Jodie would work with Mel any day of the week. Photos by Wenn