Gary Oldman Talks ‘Darkest Hour’ in “Off the Record”

Gary Oldman’s acting career spans 30 years, but it’s possible no other role transformed and challenged him as much as portraying Winston Churchill in the upcoming Darkest Hour.

The actor we know and love for his performance as Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, spoke about the film with Paul Clayton in Off the Record, as part of a conversation series presented by The Actor’s Centre.

What’s On Stage reported that Oldman initially brushed off the possibility of playing the man who is arguably Britain’s most famous Prime Minister. He explained:

“Two and a half years ago when the role first came around, [I] laughed so loud…I thought, ‘Winston Churchill, are you kidding? Look at me!’… I thought no, I’ll never go near it…Many consider him to be the greatest Briton ever, and there are all these people who have played him. It was the fear, and the anxiety of it.”

An awesome audience with Gary Oldman #frontrowseat @TheActorsCentre pic.twitter.com/n3p5YlqGnb

— Christina Balmer (@Chr1ssieB) January 3, 2017

@TheActorsCentre favourite comment from #GaryOldman #OTR being asked to play Churchill when he was more like Stan Laurel #priceless

— Suzanne (@MissSuzeH) January 3, 2017

Oldman elaborated on his concern that he could ably shoulder the mantle of such an imposing historical figure. Off the Record live-tweeted during the conversation, and one responding tweet indicated that Oldman thought he better compared to Stan Laurel than Churchill. But thankfully, he reconsidered the offer. He said:

“[The role] then came back …and it was a wonderfully written, and [the film would be] directed by Joe Wright. And I spent the next year saying ‘I don’t know what I’ve let myself in for’.”

In spite of his continuing reservations, it seems like Oldman has completely taken to the role. Leaky recently shared a first look of him in full make-up and costume, virtually unrecognizable in the iconic profile of Churchill. We look forward to the release of more photos–and trailers!–of the highly-anticipated wartime drama. Darkest Hour opens in theaters November 24, 2017.

Also read the What’s On Stage full review of Gary Oldman’s conversation with Paul Clayton, covering not only his thoughts on the film, but also his career beginnings and future plans.