Jodie Foster did not "regrets" in Mel Gibson (Reuters)

AUSTIN (Reuters)-actor and Director Jodie Foster Wednesday defended his choice of Mel Gibson, for the lead role in his film "The Beaver," saying that he "regrets" about taking him despite his personal problems that have delayed its release.

"Obviously all sorts of things happened after the film was finished," he said in a question and answer session following the premiere of the film Austin South by Southwest festival of Arts on Wednesday night. "Certainly I have no regrets about him being in the film and his performance."

Foster's drama has been delayed for months beyond his scheduled American debut last year and expected to compete for prizes during the season of Hollywood's Oscars.

The postponement came after a series of audio cassettes have been published on the site of a man Radaronline.com, widely believed to be Gibson, making insulting sexist comments on race and his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva of celebrities.

Gibson nor his representatives confirmed comments but they did not have denied both. Only last week admitted not any contest to a charge of domestic abuse linked to his bitter break with Grigorieva.

During his troubles, Foster has defended his longtime friend and premiere on Wednesday, told the audience he felt "incredibly grateful" for the performance of Gibson and would not change anything about the movie.

"The Beaver" tells the story of profoundly depressed Walter Black (Gibson), his wife (Foster) and teenage son (Anton Yelchin) who do not understand the pain is.

He finds a beaver puppet in a day and a trash dumpster, when it glides over his hand, he is able to communicate more easily with the voice of the animal which, oddly, has a London cockney accent.

At its heart, the film explores complex issues surrounding depression and the impact it has on people and families.

Foster, who has directed other films, including "Little Man Tate", called the film "probably the biggest fight of my career" due to the difficulty of striking the right balance between comedy and drama film.

After the screening of "The Beaver" was finished, she seemed to be raised at the warm welcome they received from the public.

"You're all still here," Foster joked when going on stage for the session of questions and answers.

"The Beaver" opens, through the United States, in the month of May.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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