- Gary Oldman is renown British actor
- He has had several iconic roles
- THIS is one he wishes he could redo
Lights, camera, confession! Gary Oldman, 65, and actor extraordinaire dropped a bombshell on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, hosted by Josh Horowitz, that's got the wizarding world and muggles alike in a frenzy! The 'Slow Horses' star, who's no stranger to accolades, called his performance as the enigmatic "Sirius Black" in the 'Harry Potter' series "mediocre"! Yes, you read that right, folks!
Surely fans will disagree on this one
Oldman, who slipped into the robes of the beloved character in 2004's 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,' confessed, "I think my work is mediocre in it."
"No, I do. Maybe if I had read the books like Alan, if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently." He explained that his self-criticism doesn’t just extend to his time on the franchise. The actor said he frequently finds issues with his many other performances.
"I’ll tell you what it is," Oldman said. "It’s like anything. If I sat and watched myself in something and said, ‘My god, I’m amazing,’ that would be a very sad day because you want to make the next thing better."
Oldman continued, "It’s so subjective. It’s such a personal thing that you’re looking at that other people are not seeing.… It’s not to disrespect someone who says to me, ‘Oh, I really love you in that movie,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I’m terrible in that movie. What are they talking about?’ It’s not that. It’s [that] they’re seeing something else."
But hold your hippogriffs, because he didn't stop there! The Oscar winner revealed a pang of regret, hinting he might have cast a different spell on his portrayal if only he had delved into J.K. Rowling's magical books like his late co-star, the legendary Alan Rickman.
"Maybe if I had read the books like Alan... I honestly think I would have played it differently," Oldman mused. Talk about a plot twist worthy of the 'Daily Prophet's' front page!
Despite his self-critique, Oldman's not one to rest on his laurels. "It's like anything, if I sat and watched myself in something and said, 'My god, I'm amazing,' that would be a very sad day,” he dished. Always striving for the next big thing – that's our Gary!
But it's not all wands at dawn for the star. In a heart-to-heart with Drew Barrymore (48, talk show host and Hollywood darling), Oldman shared how the 'Harry Potter' saga, along with the 'Dark Knight' trilogy, became his financial Patronus after becoming a single dad in 2000.
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Despite it all, Gary was about to pack it in as an actor but the magical franchise came to the rescue. "Thank God for Harry Potter... they saved me," he gratefully told Barrymore. The movie saga helped to relaunch his career in many ways, and opened up his work to a new generation of moviegoers.
Oldman juggled the magic of fatherhood with the magic of the movies, zipping across the pond 27 times to be with his boys while filming the caped crusader's adventures in London.
For fans, his portrayal of "Sirius Black" will live long in the memory, even if he himself isn't too happy with it.
