“I was a sort of ‘rent-a-villain’”: Sir Gary Oldman talks about his career and how he made it out of type-casting

Gary Oldman has had an impressive career spanning decades, and some of his most iconic roles have come out of him playing ruthless, villainous, and well-written villains. From playing Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element, to his portrayal of Norman Stansfield in Léon: The Professional, Oldman's flair when it comes to polarising antagonist roles is nothing short of cinematic.

Talking about his streak of playing antagonists, the actor told The Hollywood Reporter:

"There was certainly a time where I felt that I was being sort of typecast. I was a sort of “rent-a-villain,” you know what I mean? But when you get known for those kinds of roles, it’s a hard ship to turn around. I made a conscious decision that I can’t do this anymore. I put myself out of work to wait for something to come along that was as far away from the sort of villainous world I was in."

He then opened up on how he was approached to play the villain in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and how he opted out of it, as he added:

"If I remember correctly, they approached me to play a villain, it may have been Scarecrow. And I said, “No, I don’t want to play another weirdo.” It may have been Doug [Urbanski] who said: “What about Jim Gordon?” To his credit, Nolan thought about it, found it interesting."

More details about Gary Oldman's career

36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards – Backstage - Source: Getty

Gary Oldman's career started on London stages in 1979, cutting his teeth at the Royal Court Theatre before dazzling audiences with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. After making a name for himself on the stage, he then turned to the screen.

His first big role was as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy, followed by Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears, and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Soon enough, he became Hollywood's poster boy, terrifying and mesmerizing in JFK, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, True Romance, and Léon: The Professional.

But villains aren’t Gary Oldman's whole story. He gave heart and humor to Sirius Black in Harry Potter, played Jim Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy, and even played an animated villain as Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2. His Academy Award-winning Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour cemented his legendary status, while nominations for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Mank marked him as one of Hollywood's finest.

Beyond acting, Gary Oldman is a writer and director, having worked on Nil by Mouth, a TV star, having worked on Slow Horses, and has also been knighted by King Charles III for his contribution to drama.

Currently, he is still acting in Slow Horses, and his last acting credit in film was Parthenope, where he played John Cheever.

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Edited by Amey Mirashi