Mel Gibson issued a public apology Sunday for his behavior during his arrest for drunken driving on Friday after being stopped for speeding on Pacific Coast Highway, saying "I acted like a person completely out of control ... and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable."

But while many a major movie star and director has recovered from charges of driving under the influence, Gibson could face a more difficult challenge because of the anti-Semitic remarks attributed to him in one of the arresting officer's reports -- especially since the remarks renewed the charges of anti-Semitism that swirled around his 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ."

Gibson, 50, is wealthy enough to be able to write his own ticket as an independent filmmaker and seems more interested in producing and directing than starring in his films, but his name is still the primary force behind promoting his movies. And this weekend's incident could prove damaging to that name.

His next directorial effort, "Apocalypto," an account of the end of the Mayan civilization that Walt Disney Studios is scheduled to release Dec. 8, is sure to prove a test of Gibson's appeal as a brand-name filmmaker in the wake of a tumultuous media storm.

Reports of Gibson's arrest early Friday morning -- he has not yet been charged -- began circulating during the day Friday, but it was the celebrity Web site TMZ.com that later that night first carried an account of Gibson's belligerent behavior. That report described Gibson as resisting arrest, hurling epithets and such anti-Semitic statements as "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." With a blood alcohol level of 0.12%, Gibson was arrested and released several hours later on $5,000 bail.

Early Saturday afternoon, Gibson's longtime spokesman Alan Nierob released a statement on behalf of Gibson, who admitted, "After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed." The lengthy statement continued: "I apologize to anyone who I have offended. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior." He acknowledged a history of alcoholism and concluded by saying, "(I) have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Over the weekend, Gibson stayed home in Malibu with his family, "working hard on his recovery on many levels," Nierob said. Gibson faces an arraignment in court "sooner rather than later," according to another source close to the filmmaker. Long-term recovery and health are the focus for Gibson now, his associates said. According to one person who worked with the filmmaker on "Passion": "He switched to caffeine and Catholicism, whatever he does he does all the way. He's got that addictive personality of an on-the-wagon alcoholic."

But the issue of anti-Semitism will be harder to put to rest. Gibson's apology failed to satisfy the Anti-Defamation League, which Sunday issued a statement from national director Abraham Foxman, who called it "unremorseful and insufficient." Said Foxman, who earlier had criticized "Passion": "His tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film 'The Passion of the Christ,' that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham. ... It is unfortunate that it took an excess of booze and an encounter with a traffic cop to reveal what was really in his heart and mind. We would hope that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite."

During the long 2004 promo tour on "Passion," Gibson argued that he was not his father, Hutton Gibson, a conservative Catholic who has publicly questioned the existence of the Holocaust. Although he would not criticize his father, he insisted the film was an expression of his own Catholic faith.

"You could write off the anti-Semitism in 'Passion of the Christ' by virtue of Gibson's religious fervor," film critic John Anderson said. "But this is more about hate speech than something rooted in religious belief. Any benefit of the doubt people gave him on 'Passion of the Christ' has been negated. How many people when they are drunk and angry start lashing out at the Jews?"

Meanwhile, Gibson is in the midst of a long postproduction phase on "Apocalypto," independently financed by his own Icon Prods. According to colleagues who visited him during production, Gibson was "in great shape, shooting in a difficult jungle environment and totally in control."

Shortly before concluding eight months of grueling filming two weeks ago in Veracruz, Mexico, Gibson showed 40 minutes of the film to Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook and Oren Aviv, then the studio's marketing chief who since has been promoted to head of live-action film production. According to one marketing executive, Disney is excited by the prospect of releasing the subtitled action thriller, told in the Mayan language. As of Sunday, ICM had not heard from Disney, but Gibson is known to have a close relationship with Cook.

According to industry observers, the next phase of Gibson's rehabilitation should involve his reaching out and showing that he is not the person revealed in that drunken episode. "Crews and artists on his movies really respect him," said one executive who worked with him on "Passion." "He needs to become part of the community. He's become isolated by this weird paranoia."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.