Mel Gibson & Andrew Garfield Attend ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ Photocall In Venice

Mel Gibson and Andrew Garfield struck playful poses for a photocall for Hacksaw Ridge at the 73rd Venice Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino in Venice, Italy over the weekend.

Mel Gibson & Andrew Garfield Films

Gibson, who directed Hacksaw Ridge, stood straight up against a wall next to actor Garfield as photographers snapped away. Gibson was outfitted for the photocall in a casual ensemble of a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Garfield dressed up a bit in slacks, a crisp white shirt and a skinny tie, completing his outfit with shiny black sneakers.

In Hacksaw Ridge, Garfield stars in the lead role of Desmond Doss, an American soldier in WWII who vowed to never carry a weapon. Despite being unarmed, Doss saved 75 men wounded behind enemy lines during the battle of Okiniwa, the bloodiest battle of the war.

“The fact that this man, who’s built like me, kind of as skinny as I am built, dragged men this size,” Garfield told The Hollywood Reporter, pointing to Gibson, “across the most rugged terrain under gunfire, sniper fire, the possibility of mortars and shells, and then lowered them down a 75-foot escarpment, not just once, but 75 times. It’s that kind of divine help.”

Gibson added, “That’s what Desmond attributed his actions to, that power greater than himself. And the difference between a real superhero and comic book superhero is that real superheroes didn’t wear any spandex.”

Hacksaw Ridge hits theaters Nov. 4.