Mel Gibson once threw an ashtray through a wall during Braveheart budget meetings.

The 61-year-old actor confirmed the incident in a new book about former Paramount Pictures studio head Sherry Lansing according to a Tuesday report from The Hollywood Reporter.

The upcoming biography - titled Leading Lady - is being penned by the publication's executive features editor Stephen Galloway as it details a tense meeting between studio executives and the A-list star before it all came to a head, the Daily Mail reports.

"He grabbed a large glass ashtray and threw it through the wall," said agent Jeff Berg. "He threw the ashtray through the wall!"

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Gibson confirmed the incident to THR as he explained: "I was like, 'What the f*** do you people mean? I turned down three jobs - blah, blah, blah.'

"I was kind of upset, probably a little over the top. It was all posturing bulls***."

According to the weekly, 20th Century Fox had agreed to put in two-thirds of the money in exchange for foreign rights as the legendary studio chief Lansing only had to put in a third.

As the preliminary budget was $65-$70 million, Paramount Studio's head of business affairs Bill Bernstein offered just $15 million upon their meeting with Gibson.

According to former MGM chairman and Paramount producer Alan Ladd Jr., that amount was not even enough to cover budget for the battle scenes.

READ MORE:
• Lorde announces first show down under
• Taika Waititi brings Māori hero to Thor

The studio also requested for 25 percent of the historical epic's theatrical revenue.

Eventually things were sorted out after Gibson's glass-throwing incident and Paramount Studios revised their offer as they paid for one-third of the budget and accepted a lower distribution fee.

It definitely seemed to be the right move as Braveheart went on to earn over $210 million at the worldwide box office including nearly $76 million domestically.

It also received critical acclaim leading to five Oscars including Best Picture and a Best Director win for Gibson.