Chris Dunlavy
A FRESH TAKE ON FOOTBALL

MEL Gibson wasn’t supposed to be Mad Max. He was only on set because he’d given his pal a lift to the audition.
Bruised and battered after a barroom brawl the night before, the director had asked if he fancied a role as one of the film’s villains. When Gibson - who was little more than an amateur thesp at this stage - returned a week later looking every inch the rugged action hero, he was cast as the titular hero on the spot.
Jason Statham, now one of Hollywood’s most improbable stars, was even more fortunate. In the late 90s, the 53-year-old was a s...