London, Jan 2 (IANS) Hollywood star Mel Gibson has paid tribute to late actor Heath Ledger as part of an end-of-year review in a US magazine.According to contactmusic.com, Gibson told the Entertainment Weekly that he saw a lot of his own characteristics in Ledger, who he first met when the tragic star auditioned to play his son in 2000 movie “The Patriot”.

Gibson also said that he was impressed by the young actor’s magnetism, even though his audition wasn’t “polished”.

“We all just wanted to watch the guy. On the set, I felt a real connection with this kid. He had all the raw stuff…You wanted to say, ‘Dude, just calm down and be yourself. It’s good.’,” he said.

Gibson admits he was stunned when Ledger died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year.