Hot Stuff: Bill Clinton Joins 'Hangover 2' Cast

By Simone Hilliard

Mel Gibson is out, and former President Bill Clinton is in! The popular Prez will play himself in the sequel to last year's wildly popular blockbuster comedy "The Hangover 2," currently filming in Thailand.

Image : Getty Images

While Clinton was in the region giving speeches on clean energy and meeting world leaders, he dropped in and shot a brief appearance in the Todd Phillips-directed film. There's no word on what the scene involving the 41st U.S. president will be, but Clinton joins the likes of Mike Tyson, whose Phil Collins-crooning cameo in the first film became one of its most memorable scenes.

Gibson was dropped from the film after rumored cast complaints and replaced by Liam Neeson, who joins the orginal funny guys Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha.

The new cast faces could help put the Gibson controversy to rest. The troubled actor, whose career has been put in deep freeze after a series of leaked profanity-laced recordings featuring his voice, was dropped from the movie last month, shortly after the news of his cameo as a tattoo artist emerged.

Director Todd Phillips weiged in on the casting and replacement:

"I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of [Warner Bros. president] Jeff Robinov and his team. But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew."

Phillips later told MTV News:

"Regret is the wrong word, but I was surprised in some way by the reaction. I think in Hollywood, we've often seen — and I certainly have empathy for people that have struggled. Whether it's alcohol addiction in [Gibson's] case or whatever it may be, there is empathy. I was a little bit surprised by people, and I'm not even talking about our family, the 'Hangover' family. I'm talking about the outside world's sort of lack of empathy."

Hmmm...empathy for a man spewing hate? We're not sure we agree with Phillips on that one. What do you think?

Does Gibson deserve a reprieve? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Liam Neeson, Mel Gibson, Mike Tyson, Movies & CineMás, President Bill Clinton, The Hangover 2, Todd Phillips, Zach Galifianakis