Mel Gibson’s recent boy’s night out with Carlos Slim Domit, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú‘s eldest son, has generated speculation about a possible business deal between the two famous men. Mexican business columnists reported that Gibson traveled to Mexico City last month to ask Slim Jr. to invest in his film company. According to Hollywood pundits, the actor, film director, producer and screenwriter, lost money on his self-financed movie Get The Gringo, which was filmed largely in Mexico last year. Mexico City’s daily Reforma reported that on August 22, Gibson and Slim Helu’s heir-apparent enjoyed a night out with a group of ten men at the restaurant Casa Anis, in the upscale Mexico City neighborhood of Polanco. Restaurant employees told the newspaper that Gibson, who has had a serious alcohol problem and has been arrested for driving under the influence, didn’t consume alcoholic beverages. The actor, Slim Domit and his group of friends, which included Eduardo Solórzano, president and CEO of Walmart Latin America, met later on at the Fat Crow bar in Antara, an upscale open-air shopping center in Polanco, where they enjoyed the show Black Tie Femmes with the rock band Tren a Marte. In a third encounter with Gibson the following day, Slim Domit was reportedly joined by his brother Tony, his brother-in-law, Arturo Elías Ayub, and the son of Pedro Torres, a television producer, among others. This time they lunched at the Erawan Joy Room Asian food restaurant, also in Polanco. Arturo Elías Ayub, who aside from being married to one of Slims Helu’s daughters is also Carlos Slim Helu’s key spokesperson, declined to comment when asked to confirm reports that Slim Domit and Gibson are talking business.He also declined to say how Slim Jr. and Gibson became friends. However, according to knowledgeable sources, Slim Domit has been interested in the film industry for some time and Grupo Carso, Slim’s business conglomerate in which Slim Jr. serves as Chairman of the Board, has taken advantage of a new Mexican law that waives some taxes for businessmen that invest in producing films. In 2010, the year of Mexico’s Bicentennial, Slim Jr. produced an animated film for children about Mexico’s founding fathers. One additional thing the Slims and Gibson have in common, sources say, is that both are Catholics. “I suspect there is a film under consideration,” said a source who asked not be named. Named “The Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine in 1985, the year his film Braveheart won five Academy Awards, Gibson’s presence in Mexico was met with excitement by Mexican fans.
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