Mel Gibson initially passed on 'Braveheart' script

It is one of his most celebrated roles, but Mel Gibson says he initially passed on the role of William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish warrior, in "Braveheart".
Gibson was offered to act in the movie but he also ended up directing it.
The director, who is garnering praise for his real-life drama "Hacksaw Ridge", says some of the best movies sometimes don't appeal to people in the idea stage, reported Deadline.
"None of these are easy. They never are. I mean people see afterwards that it's pretty good, but maybe it doesn't seem great in the idea stage. On this one, Bill (Bill Mechanic, producer) spent 15 years. He even sent me the script, twice before. I passed, both times," the actor-director revealed.

Gibson did a similar thing with "Braveheart" but he came around.
"Well, I did that with Braveheart. I passed on it. I kind of liked it and I thought maybe... I don't know. One reason or another.
"Then, it's like what happened with this one. The wheels start going around and you start visualising it. They didn't offer Braveheart to me to direct, anyway. They offered it for me to star in.