Jodie Foster, who directed Mel Gibson in The Beaver, calls the embattled star "a brilliant man, a beautiful talent, and a loyal, loyal friend" in an interview with AARP Magazine, and Breaking Celebrity News has all the details for you.

"From the moment I met him, there was such a connection that I knew we would be friends for the rest of my life," the Silence of the Lambs star told AARP The Magazine of her friendship with the actor, who's been a virtual non-factor in Hollywood since Breaking Celebrity News released the world exclusive tapes of the actor violently berating his ex girlfriend, Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva.

"We work exactly in the same way: No bull----. We've had so many conversations about the topics the film explores," Foster told the magazine. He is a brilliant man, a beautiful talent, and a loyal, loyal friend. That's the man I know."

In the upcoming movie, Gibson's character  -- an executive going thro