Director Robert Towne's 1988 thriller Tequila Sunrise was originally designed with a fatal ending for Mel Gibson's character Dale McKussic, a drug dealer meant to perish in an exploding boat sequence. Towne intended the role as a self-destructive figure drawn to the thrill of danger itself rather than illicit substances, though he acknowledged having written the character with too much earnestness and pathos. Warner Bros studio executives rejected the death scene outright, unwilling to eliminate one of their most commercially valuable leading men and preferring to preserve the option for sequels.

The creative decision reflected the power dynamics of 1980s Hollywood, where major stars' marketability trumped narrative vision. The article uses this anecdote to highlight how dramatically Gibson's standing has shifted: his well-documented personal controversies have rendered him far less bankable, such that contemporary studios would likely permit—and audiences would welcome—the onscreen demise that was once commercially unthinkable.