Mel Gibson's longtime friend Jodie Foster has hit out at critics, defending him despite the controversy surrounding his investigation for alleged domestic violence and highly publicized rant.

Foster, who was interviewed by More Magazine for its October issue said in an interview that he is the easiest, nicest person I've ever worked with... The second I met him, I said, 'I will love this man for the rest of my life.'

She went on to say, "When you love a friend, you don't abandon them when they are struggling.

Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster worked together recently on the upcoming The Beaver, which was directed by Foster.

The Lethal Weapon star's epic fall has been felt around the film industry, with arguments for and against his now infamous rant against ex-lover Oksana Grigorieva. His highly acclaimed career has been for years envied by most in Hollywood, who struggle to get the international recognition he has, and with his films such as Passion of the Christ becoming a worldwide success, Mel Gibson is a global brand.

Recent rumors spread that Gibson would reprise the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon 5. Although the last Lethal Weapon outing was in 1998, it is not impossible to see him playing the role one last time. As the media circus surrounding the rant dies down, Gibson will have the opportunity to hit the reset button with his latest film The Beaver, and many in Hollywood and around the world are waiting for his comeback. After all the fans wont be forgetting him anytime soon, (at least we wont).