Despite all controversies, Jodie Foster stands by fellow `Beaver` star Mel Gibson

Washington: Despite all controversies surrounding him, Mel Gibson has got a good friend in his fellow `The Beaver` star Jodie Foster.

Foster, who has directed and acted in the film, has publicly praised the `Braveheart` star and swayed aside the controversies that surrounded Gibson in the recent past. She said that Gibson was her first choice for the role all along. “He is an extraordinary comedic presence” Contact Music quoted her as telling NPR News. “He will live the consequences of his behaviour, and I think he has bigger problems than whether somebody goes to see his film or not. He has much more pressing problems and much more pressing issues in his life” she added. However, Foster has publicly decided to continue to support Gibson, “When someone`s struggling, you don``t walk away from them. You stand by them. I`m not interested in running away from him,” she said. “The Mel Gibson that I know, that I`ve experienced, and that I know intimately - and I think I can probably say you don``t know - is an extraordinary man. And no one can take that away” she added. ANI