Gary Oldman Says He Thanks God for ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ Movies: ‘They Saved Me’

Christian Zilko
·2 min read
5

Gary Oldman has played an eclectic mix of roles in his forty-year acting career, from his Oscar-winning turn as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” to his current run as M15 administrator Jackson Lamb on the Apple TV+ series “Slow Horses.” But the British actor might have the most affection for his blockbuster roles in the “Harry Potter” and “Batman” franchises, which he credits with reviving his acting career and saving his personal life.

Appearing on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Oldman reflected on playing Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” movies and Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy. He explained that the convenient shooting schedules of blockbuster franchises allowed him to focus on his family in the early 2000s while keeping a foot in the acting world.

More from IndieWire

“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of [my] boys,” Oldman said. “That, in itself, was… 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. So, I turned down a lot of work.”

He continued: “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 recalled the extensive travel that he endured during the “Batman Begins” shoot in order to see his children on a regular basis. He credited Nolan’s famously efficient shooting schedules with making his globe trotting family life possible.

“When we did the first Batman..London doubled for Gotham. I did 27 round trips of flying back from LA,” he said. “I’d fly in for a day. I’d do a shoot a day. To Chris Nolan’s credit, he stayed on schedule. I would go home for three days. Come back for two. Go home for a weekend. Come back for a day… otherwise, I just felt my kids are being brought up by a nanny.”

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.