Mel Gibson has said that renewed allegations of anti-Semitic comments levelled against him by actress Winona Ryder are “100% untrue”.
In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Ryder claimed that the Braveheart star had asked her if she was an “oven dodger” at a party close to 25 years ago, in an apparent reference to her Jewish background.
She told the publication: “We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get Aids?'
“And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'”
The 48-year-old then revealed that Gibson attempted to reach out later on to apologise.
A representative of Gibson said: “This is 100% untrue. She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she's lying about it now.
“Also, she lied about him trying to apologise to her back then. He did reach out to her, many years ago, to confront her about her lies and she refused to address it with him.”
After Gibson vehemently denied the accusations against him, Ryder mentioned she was with the late makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin at the time, and said the altercation remains a “painful and vivid memory”.
She said: “I believe in redemption and forgiveness and hope that Mr Gibson has found a healthy way to deal with his demons, but I am not one of them.
“Around 1996, my friend Kevyn Aucoin and I were on the receiving end of his hateful words. It is a painful and vivid memory for me. Only by accepting responsibility for our behaviour in this life, can we make amends and truly respect each other, and I wish him well on this lifelong journey.”
Ryder first accused Gibson in 2010 when she gave an interview to GQ magazine, suggesting Gibson was referencing the gas chambers used by Nazis during the holocaust.
In 2006, Gibson was recorded delivering a controversial anti-Semitic rant after a drink-driving arrest.
After the recent allegations, the 64-year-old has been axed from his upcoming film, the sequel to Chicken Run.
This article originally appeared on Over60.