According to Mel Gibson's brother, Andrew, Gibson's family still refuses to believe that the recordings of Mel "using abusive, homophobic and racist language are really of him."
"When I heard them I just thought, 'That isn't Mel'. He has never said anything abusive, aggressive or racist in his life," he told The Sunday Times. "I just had to turn the TV off and turn it to the wall for two weeks so I didn't have to listen. The rest of the family did the same."
Andrew also added that when he first came out, Mel was among the more compassionate members of the family:
While he admitted his brother had made homophobic remarks during a 1991 interview, in which the actor referred to not wanting to "take it up the arse".
"With this look, who's going to think I'm gay? I don't lend myself to that type of confusion," he said at the time. "Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?"
But an openly gay Mr Gibson said his brother's comments were not meant to cause any offence and, when he had come out to family and friends more than two decades ago, Mel had been supportive.
"He's a straight man and he was illustrating that fact. In the same way a gay man wouldn't want to have sex with a woman," he said.
"He never meant to upset anyone. I have never once heard anything anti-gay come out of his mouth. (Coming out) was one of the most terrifying things I have ever done. I was 22. When I told my dad he cried and blamed himself he felt he had done something wrong. That broke my heart and I told him it wasn't my fault. I think they all suspected. I was at a family dinner at Aria restaurant when I told Mel. He just said, 'It's not my choice, but I love you and you're my brother'."
Gay brother defends Mel Gibson [PerthNow]