Gary Oldman Calls His ‘Harry Potter’ Performance ‘Mediocre’: ‘I Would Have Played It Differently’ Had I Prepped More

Wilson Chapman
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Gary Oldman doesn’t think his work at Hogwarts was all that magical.

In an interview with Josh Horowitz during the latest “Happy Sad Confused” podcast released Thursday (via Entertainment Weekly), Oldman spoke about his stint as an ensemble member of the popular “Harry Potter” blockbuster franchise. Oldman portrayed the title character’s outlaw godfather, Sirius Black. He first appeared in the 2004 third film “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” later reprising the role in 2005’s “Goblet of Fire” and 2007’s “Order of the Phoenix,” after which his character was killed off. He made a final appearance in the series in a cameo for the seventh and final film, “Deathly Hallows — Part 2.”

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Although Sirius is by now among Oldman’s most famous roles, the “Darkest Hour” Oscar winner admitted during the interview that he finds his performance in the films lackluster overall. Comparing his work in the movies to the late Alan Rickman’s turn as Severus Snape, Oldman said he didn’t prep for the part by closely reading J.K. Rowling’s original fantasy novels, which Rickman did.

“I think my work is mediocre in it,” Oldman told Horowitz. “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.”

Oldman further explained that his self-criticism doesn’t just extend to his time as Sirius — the “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” 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.”

Although Oldman isn’t a fan of his “Harry Potter” work, the actor still appreciates what the films did for his career. In an interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show” earlier this December, he spoke about how those films and Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy helped keep him afloat and allowed him to spend time with his children following his divorce from ex-wife Donya Fiorentino in 2001.

“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,” Oldman said.

Oldman currently stars in Season 3 of “Slow Horses,” which is streaming on Apple TV+.

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