'Hacksaw Ridge' earns Mel Gibson 1st Oscar nomination in 21 years

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES -- It had been 10 years since Mel Gibson last stepped behind a camera to direct a feature film. After keeping a low profile for the past decade, Gibson was welcomed back to the Hollywood fold with an Oscar nomination.

It was 21 years ago that Gibson won two Oscars, for directing and producing "Braveheart."

This year, it was "Hacksaw Ridge" that brought him to the Oscar party. Producers approached Gibson three times over a 10-year period to make the movie.

"When I was reading it, I mean, it kind of just steps up and slaps you in the face and says, 'Hey, direct me!" said Gibson.

"So, I don't know, it ticked all my boxes. I'm reading, like, yeah yeah, oh yeah, yeah. It's a bit corny. Then I start crying on the pages and it got me. So I figured if it can do that to me, and I'm pretty callous, I could maybe tell the story and feel the same things," he continued.

Gibson said he made "Hacksaw Ridge" as an independent film without the luxury of a huge budget, but received the help of another country.

"Australia come to the party," said Gibson. "I mean, they said, 'You bring it over here, we'll do it all here.' It's a completely Australian film. You use the elements and the government, the Australian film board and everything helped us a lot so that we were able to achieve a lot without much."

As for the possibility of Gibson actually winning another Oscar? He said he wouldn't be heading to Las Vegas anytime soon.

"I checked the odds in Vegas, just for my own curiosity," joked Gibson. "For best picture, 66 to 1, so that's great! I don't want to have to make a speech!"

Live Red Carpet coverage begins Sunday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT with ON THE RED CARPET AT THE OSCARS. Check your local listings.