Gary Oldman has apologized for his lack of sensitivity during his candid PlayBoy interview where he defended the anti-Semitic ramblings of a drunk Mel Gibson.
Oldman, who starred in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," told the magazine political correctness is "crap" and people can't take a "f***king joke" anymore. The actor was referring to the backlash Gibson faced over comments he made during his DUI arrest a few years back.
He went on to defend Alec Baldwin's use of a gay slur when a photographer was antagonizing him outside of his home. The candid comments struck a nerve with the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Weisenthal Center, and Oldman offered an apology for his statements, according to Deadline.
Below is the Oldman's letter of apology to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), originally published by Deadline.
Dear Gentlemen of the ADL:
I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy Interview were offensive to many Jewish people. Upon reading my comments in print-I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype. Anything that contributes to this stereotype is unacceptable, including my own words on the matter. If, during the interview, I had been asked to elaborate on this point I would have pointed out that I had just finished reading Neal Gabler's superb book about the Jews and Hollywood, An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews invented Hollywood. The fact is that our business, and my own career specifically, owes an enormous debt to that contribution.
I hope you will know that this apology is heartfelt, genuine, and that I have an enormous personal affinity for the Jewish people in general, and those specifically in my life. The Jewish People, persecuted thorough the ages, are the first to hear God's voice, and surely are the chosen people.
I would like to sign off with "Shalom Aleichem"-but under the circumstances, perhaps today I lose the right to use that phrase, so I will wish you all peace-Gary Oldman.
