MEL’S NOT ABOVE ‘LAW’
The story of Mel Gibson’s drunk-driving arrest and subsequent anti-Semitic tirade is being adapted for a “Law & Order” episode starring Chevy Chase.
The episode – titled “In Vino Veritas” – has Chase, 62, guest-starring “as a television celebrity who is pulled over for drunk driving while wearing blood-soaked clothes, and whose religious prejudice comes out after his arrest,” according to an announcement from NBC yesterday.
While the network did not reveal the nature of the character’s prejudice, it is anti-Semitism, said a source who requested anonymity.
Filming of the episode is under way this week in New York. The dramatic role is a rarity for Chase, the long-ago star of “Saturday Night Live,” two “Fletch” movies and four “National Lampoon” films.
Gibson, 50, was pulled over for speeding July 27 near his home in Malibu, Calif. He was subsequently arrested for driving while intoxicated after he became belligerent with police officers. That was when he unleashed an anti-Semitic rant in which, among other things, he blamed Jews for “all the wars in the world.”
“Law & Order” often uses real-life news stories as a jumping-off point for its own stories. One significant difference between the Gibson and “Law & Order” stories is the blood on the Chase character’s shirt, indicating that he was involved in a violent crime. In real-life, Gibson was not splattered with blood when he was stopped for speeding.
The episode is scheduled to air Friday, Nov. 3, at 10 p.m. on NBC.
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