Mel Gibson says Braveheart ‘woke something up’ in Scotland during independence debate

Mel Gibson believes his Oscar-winning film Braveheart “woke something up” in Scotland during the country’s debate over independence.

The Hollywood star, who played 13th century Scottish warrior William Wallace in the 1995 movie, said the decision to devolve powers to Holyrood had been a “good thing” for Scotland.

But Mel, 61, did not reveal whether he backed Scottish independence, saying he did not comment on the politics of other countries.

Mel said of Braveheart: “It certainly woke something up there in Scotland. I know they achieved partial autonomy for that and I think it was a good thing.

“I like to stay out of the politics of other people’s nations so I won’t go further.”

The Scottish Parliament was created following the 1997 devolution referendum, while the 2014 vote on Scottish independence ended in favour of remaining part of the UK by 55.3% to 44.7%.