Popular for starring in movies like Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, and The Patriot, Mel Gibson has gained immense success not only as an actor but also as a filmmaker in Hollywood. In a career spanning over four decades, he has entertained his audience with his expertise in a wide range of genres, including comedy, drama, romance, action, and many more. However, in his decades-long career, the actor has also missed out on projects that could have been a better addition to his work in the industry.

One such film also includes the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society, which would go on to receive four nominations at the Academy Awards, including the Best Actor nomination. However, Gibson reportedly turned down the offer for the 1989 film, that was later offered to the actor Robin Williams.

Mel Gibson Turned Down the Lead Role in Dead Poets Society

Directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams in the lead role, the 1989 film Dead Poets Society follows an English teacher of an elite boarding school, John Keating, who inspires his students through poetries. It was a critical and commercial hit and also claimed several accolades, including an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Williams, who portrayed the lead character John Keating in the movie, also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the film. However, before the Patch Adams star, many other high-profile actors were approached for the film, and Mel Gibson was also among them.

The Mad Max star was attached to the project before Peter Weir took over the movie as its director. Before Weir, Jeff Kanew was attached to the project as its director, and it was during this time Gibson was expected to star as John Keating in the film. However, he denied the offer for the Oscar-nominated role.

Hollywood actor Mel Gibson

It is alleged that the Blood Father star rejected the film due to the low salary for his work, and he wanted more than what was offered to him. Liam Neeson was also considered for the role, but the studio was adamant about casting Williams in the part, which would later become the reason behind Kanew’s departure from the film.

Robin Williams Was Also Hesitant to Star in the 1989 Film

While Mel Gibson rejected the offer for the Oscar-winning film, Robin Williams, was also hesitant to star as the lead in Dead Poets Society. According to the screenwriter Tom Schulman, the Jumanji star “wouldn’t say no, but he wouldn’t say yes, to working with that director.”

The cast of Dead Poets Society (1989)

The director was Jeff Kanew, who was initially making the movie. However, unlike the studio that wanted Williams to play the lead, Kanew did not want to work with the actor. According to the film’s screenwriter, it also caused a delay in the film’s production, as Williams did not want to work with Jeff Kanew.

But the studio was adamant about casting the Oscar winner as the lead. “He [Williams] never said he would, but Disney kept trying to pressure him by moving forward,” Schulman shared during an interview. Followed by the mishap in the production, the studio hired Peter Weir as the director, and Robin Williams also joined the project afterward.