“That was a catalyst and it came full circle,” Gibson said in a recent Zoom interview with UPI, adding that the role “didn’t require much acting at all because I was living it.”

Gibson, 45, said he took part in the riots as a teenager because he believed the acquittal of the police officer who struck Rodney King during a traffic stop was unfair.

“I was scared, but I was fed up like everyone else,” Gibson said. “We continued to be victims of what the police wanted to do to us.

“I just remember not seeing the sun for at least five weeks because the sky was pitch black from the smoke,” Gibson said. “I remember there was ash everywhere, on every car, every roof, in every residential area, in the grass.”

In the film, the riots serve as the backdrop for the robbery by Riggin (Scott Eastwood) and Lowell (Ray Liotta). Their gang of thieves tries to break into a safe because they believe the police are too busy to stop them.

Mercer stumbles upon their robbery while trying to find his son Antoine (Christopher Ammanuel). Gibson said that as realistic as the riot scenes are, 1992 is not meant to rehash the events.

“If you want to see a documentary about the 1992 riots, this is not the film for you,” Gibson said. “This is about a robbery. This is about the dynamic between father and son.”

Eastwood, 38, said he read up on the riots in preparation for the film. As an 8-year-old in 1992, Eastwood said he remembers his parents – Clint Eastwood and Jacelyn Reeves – talking about the events.

“I remember it was a big deal at the time,” Eastwood said. “I know it was a big injustice at the time. That’s what sparked the riots.”

The unrest turns Riggin into an opportunist, using the unforeseen events as a cover for his crime. Eastwood said that although Riggin is a thief, he has a code of honor, more so than some of the men Lowell brings with him, who shoot at security guards and hurt each other.

“He had honor,” Eastwood said. “He had morals. I think he was the voice that connected the two storylines.”

In Mercer’s storyline, it was also important to Gibson to portray the struggle of a single father with a teenage son. Mercer wasn’t in Antoine’s life until his mother and grandmother died in a car accident, and Mercer is quick to discipline.

“I’m the adult here,” Gibson said of Mercer’s parenting style. “We’re not friends. That’s what we do. That’s what we don’t do.”

When Mercer and Riggin meet, the characters have a completely different dynamic than the actors. Fast and the Furious Characters. Eastwood plays Little Nobody, who gives the drivers, including Roman (Gibson), their missions.

“This is a much more serious film and a film with much more stakes,” said Eastwood. “In FastI think we just get on each other’s nerves.”