Mel Gibson Opens Up About Leaked Oksana Grigorieva 'Edited' Audio Tapes

April 22, 2011— -- In his first interview since leaked audio tapes recorded his rant against ex-girfriend Oksana Grigorieva, Mel Gibson talked openly about his life now and how the tape scandal was "one terribly awful moment in time," according to a Deadline Hollywood story posted Thursday.

Here are the top five revelations from Gibson's interview with journalist Allison Hope Weiner:

1. Leaked 'Edited' Audio Tapes?

In March, Gibson pleaded guilty to a charge of misdemeanor battery against Grigorieva, who is also the mother of his 1-year-old daughter.

Instead of jail time, he received 36 months of informal probation, community service, a year of domestic violence counseling and $570 in fines.

Stemming from a January 2010 fight, Grigorieva accused the actor of hitting her and their daughter and verbally berating her in several phone calls.

Some of the phone calls were leaked online.

Gibson told Weiner that he regretted what he said and that he was "angry" with himself. When asked if people were angry with him about his rant, he said "no one expressed any anger at me. They may have felt it."

But Gibson emphasized that one has to take into consideration the context of the situation that the audio tapes captured and that they were edited.

"You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship," Gibson said in the interview with Weiner. "It's one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn't represent what I truly believe or how I've treated people my entire life."

In regards to the guilty plea in the domestic violence case, Gibson said he was "allowed to end the case and still maintain his innocence."

Calls made by ABCNews.com to Grigorieva's attorneys for comment Thursday night were not immediately returned.

2. Hollywood Friends Defend Gibson

Besides his public court battle with Grigorieva, Gibson's past actions have generated other controversies including a 2006 drunk driving arrest that turned later into anti-Semitic rant.

But some Hollywood stars have come to his defense. Actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster have publicly defended Gibson.

Gibson said it "didn't bother him" that only a few people have stood up for him. "Very many people are supportive, of course, but you find out who your friends are. I have many friends and they've been great," Gibson told Weiner.

3. Quitting Acting

For more than three decades, Gibson has been in more than 40 films.

Gibson said he's not concerned if the audience passes judgment on him.

He said in the Weiner interview that he was "way beyond" what people think and that "the whole experience has been most unfortunate. And so it's not without all the downside."

Gibson said: "I could easily not act again. It's not a problem. I'm going to do something now because I want to do it and because it's fun."

But he does plan to work for "Braveheart" screenwriter Randy Wallace on a project.

4. "The Beaver" - Life Imitates Art?

In Gibson's latest film, "The Beaver," which is set to open next month, he plays a man who is depressed and uses a puppet in the form of a beaver to talk with his family and his wife.

He told Weiner he found the film to have an "odd quirky humor and at the same time, the very profound undertone of what happens to us and what can happen to us and how do you handle that."

The film features Jodie Foster and the film has received some positive reviews.

The movie explores universal themes like desperation, getting through depression and finding his voice.

5. Lessons Learned

Gibson talked about his life now and said he still goes out with his family despite the potential media attention it could attract.

"Yeah, I go out. I do what I need to do. Life goes on. It's part of your job to be out there. But there are aspects that you don't necessarily want and sometimes they are completely unavoidable. You get blindsided and try to deal with it in a pragmatic way," he said in the Weiner interview.

ABC News' Sheila Marikar contributed to this report.