Gary Oldman Doesn't Like His Harry Potter Work And Knows How He Could Have Saved It
The "Harry Potter" franchise tends to stir strong emotions. For some, it brings back fond magical memories, while for others, it reminds them of J. K. Rowling's controversial political ideology. For Gary Oldman, the actor who portrayed Sirius Black — Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) wrongfully imprisoned godfather — the films are a reminder of a performance he isn't proud of. During a 2023 interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Oldman admitted that he considers his work on the franchise less than stellar.
"I think my work is mediocre in it. No, I do ... Maybe if I had read the books like Alan [Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known [what was] coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently," said Oldman. "I'll tell you what it is. 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 also acknowledged that his decision to not read the books led to a few surprises, like him not knowing that Sirius Black would die when it came time to film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." He said, "We were all taking bets, you know. 'It's [Rubeus] Hagrid,' and I was there going, 'No, no, no, maybe it's Ron [Weasley].' And then you kind of open the script and you go, 'It's me. I'm out of here.'"
Gary Oldman credits Harry Potter (and Batman) for saving his career
Gary Oldman's distaste for the quality of his performance on the "Harry Potter" franchise — although J.K. Rowling herself praised his work in a 2012 interview with Charlie Rose – should not be mistaken for distaste of the franchise itself. If anything, the actor cherishes the series. During a 2023 interview on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Oldman expressed a deep gratitude for not only "Harry Potter" but for Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy as well. According to Oldman, the pair of projects offered him a chance to revive his career while also maintaining an appropriate work/life balance.
"At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of [my] boys ... that was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in] Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places," said Oldman. "So I turned down a lot of work. Thank God for 'Harry Potter' ... I tell you, the two — 'Batman' and 'Harry Potter' — really, they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids."