Actor Oldman 'doesn't know why' he's not Sir Gary

15 days ago

Gary Oldman's collection of awards is lacking something.

He is known as one of the most accomplished actors of his time, receiving awards such as an Oscar for best actor, a Bafta, and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sir Winston Churchill in the movie Darkest Hour. Additionally, he has received two Baftas for his work in the film Nil by Mouth, which he both wrote and directed.

Gary Oldman - Figure 1 — Photo Yahoo News Canada

In the upcoming month, he has the possibility of receiving his first Emmy award for his portrayal of Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses. Jackson Lamb is a character who prioritizes insulting his MI5 coworkers over taking care of his own personal cleanliness.

However, in contrast to those famous actors who have been knighted, like Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Daniel Day Lewis, and Sir Kenneth Branagh, he claims that he has not received any recognition from the honors system.

"I'm not sure the reason. You should inquire with them. The royals didn't give their approval, but that's the situation," he says in an interview with the BBC.

Lately, when a film or actor wins an Oscar in a big category, they often receive recognition from royalty soon after.

Mark Rylance was given the title of knight he year after he was awarded best supporting actor for his role in Bridge of Spies. Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, and Eddie Redmayne were all celebrated and recognized with honors in the months following their successes.

Indeed, Oldman is the sole British actor or actress this century to have not received any kind of award, but he denies any claim that he has declined one by firmly stating "no" four times in a row.

"Perhaps it will happen for me someday," he says with a hint of longing.

Actor Oldman has received three nominations for the Best Actor award at the Academy Awards and was the winner in 2017. [Image source: Getty Images]

Oldman has received a lot of praise throughout his career of over 40 years. He has portrayed a variety of iconic characters such as Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, Dracula, Gotham City’s police commissioner Jim Gordon, and even had a small role as President Truman in Oppenheimer.

However, for the first time in his professional life, he is now involved in a TV show that has been on air for a long time. The show Slow Horses on Apple TV+ is about to begin its fourth season and has gained popularity purely through positive reviews and recommendations from viewers.

Calling in from Palm Springs, where he currently resides, Gary Oldman explains how he explains the show to those who haven't watched it yet: "It's like a more gritty and gritty take on espionage. It's like the budget version of it, I suppose."

Slow Horses follows the story of agents who have been cast aside or are facing problems within the British Secret Service. They are stuck at Slough House, overseen by the scruffy and unkempt Jackson Lamb, portrayed by actor Oldman, who has put a lot of effort into thinking about his character's scent.

He enjoys drinking whisky, so it's clear that it's a big part of who he is.

"It smells like old alcohol, cigarettes, and body odor mixed together."

Lamb is known for passing gas as his signature move. There is a lot of debate about how many times he should fart in each series and what the farts should sound like. Season five begins with a lot of farting.

"These are the talks and email discussions that you have with the director," Oldman chuckles.

"You know, like 'This chair is made of leather, so it must be more durable.' We often have silly discussions about how often things are used."

Surely with conversations like these, the knighthood is definitely within reach.

Slow Horses is commonly referred to as the opposite of James Bond, and Gary Oldman could have been a villain in a Bond movie. Instead of taking on the role of a Bond villain before Daniel Craig took over, he chose not to.

"I was told that a long time ago," he affirms, although he admits he can't remember which movie it was.

"He didn't resonate with me," he says without any remorse.

In the show Slow Horses, his colleague Jack Lowden plays the role of agent River Cartwright, and is often brought up in conversations about who might be the next James Bond. Oldman has a suggestion for who could fill the iconic role.

I would love to see a movie showing Bond's early years in the Navy and how he eventually became 007.

It is evident that he has put a significant amount of thought into this beforehand.

"Jack may be considered too young at the moment, but he has the potential to be a rising star in the Bond franchise in the future."

Yes, I Read Harry Potter

One very popular British movie series that Oldman starred in was Harry Potter, portraying the character Sirius Black, and there is something he would like to address.

"I understand that some fans were very upset, claiming that he was lazy and hadn't read the books. That is not accurate."

Oldman wants to make it clear that when he began filming his role, JK Rowling was still completing the books and everything was kept secret. The information was so tightly guarded that actors were only given the current book to read and never knew what would happen in the next chapter or episode.

"If I had the opportunity to read the books, I might have recognized the plot development and been able to predict Sirius Black's destination."

"I might have portrayed the character in a slightly different way, but unfortunately, there were no additional books available."

"I believe I have settled that matter," he says confidently, adding a dramatic gesture that even Sirius Black would have admired.

It's worth mentioning that Slow Horses is adapted from a collection of novels written by Mick Herron, and Oldman has actually read all eight of them.

Brothers And Sisters On TV

Appearing in a television show that has been on for a long time is something Oldman is not used to, but it is familiar to another person in his family.

Laila Morse, who is Gary Oldman's older sibling, began her acting career when she was 51 years old. This happened in Nil by Mouth, which is the only movie that Oldman has directed.

In the past twenty-five years, Morse has portrayed Big Mo in EastEnders sporadically, making a comeback to Albert Square in May.

The actor is sure that his sister is fine with him appearing on television now. He mentioned that she was on a break but has since returned. He admitted that he doesn't watch her show, and she doesn't really watch his work either. He joked that she probably won't be rushing to see his latest project, Oppenheimer.

"I don't think that's going to happen," he responds casually before adding:

"We're content. She has the Square, and I have Slough House, so we're satisfied with our current situation."

Gary Oldman announced that series five of Slow Horses has already been recorded and expressed his commitment to staying with the show for the long term.

It seems like Slow Horses is going to bring him more recognition, just maybe not of the highest level.

The fourth season of Slow Horses premieres on Apple TV+ on September 4th.