My father’s not a wife-beater ... he’s my hero
After Oscar-winner Oldman’s ex-wife accused him of abuse, their son says:
IT was the only dark moment on his night of Oscars glory.
After Gary Oldman won best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill, his ex-wife repeated allegations of domestic abuse.
But Oldman has now been staunchly defended against Donya Fiorentino’s claims – by their son Gulliver.
The 20-year-old published an open letter in support of his father, calling him ‘my hero’ and ‘the man I aspire to be’.
Oldman, 59, who won his Oscar on Sunday for Darkest Hour, was married to US photographer Miss Fiorentino between 1997 and 2001. They had two children – Gulliver and his brother Charlie, 19.
Miss Fiorentino, his third wife, has accused him of beating her in the face with a telephone in front of their sons and labelled their marriage ‘a nightmare’.
In his letter, sent to several publications, Gulliver wrote: ‘It has been troubling and painful to see that these false allegations against my father being written about again, especially after this was all settled years ago. Custody of children is not given to a wife-beater, and under most circumstances, hardly ever a man.
‘My having lived, full time with my father should be in itself, proof enough.’
After Miss Fiorentino and Oldman separated in 2001, she filed court documents accusing the actor of assaulting her in front of their sons – claims that Oldman later called ‘lies, innuendoes and half-truths’.
Writing about the accusation, Gulliver said: ‘I can see how coming out with a statement to combat an allegation must look. However, I was there at the time of the “incident,” so I’d like to make this radiantly clear: it didn’t happen. Anyone who says it did is lying.’
Clearly siding with Oldman, he continued: ‘In the case of my father, there is only innocence. There never has been any guilt.’ His tone also suggested that he felt sorry for his mother as he added: ‘She has been a sad and very troubled person most of her life. Yes, she brought me into this world. She didn’t however, teach me how to be a part of it.’
In comparison, Gulliver sang the praises of Oldman, writing: ‘My father is my one and true guiding light. My only hero. He is the man I aspire one day to become. If I could only become even half as great and half as pure. I was granted the good graces of his fatherhood as a child to be raised by him and only him. For that I am eternally grateful every hour of every day. I owe him the world and I owe him my life.
‘ I want only to protect my father’s character, as a person and as an actor. I know he is a wonderfully kind man, gifted beyond belief, a man who wouldn’t trade anything for the love and happiness of his family.’
He concluded: ‘This torment should have ended 16 years ago. In such a momentous year for his career, my father should finally be able to enjoy himself.
‘I hope that we can please make that a possibility.’
His letter comes after Miss Fiorentino, 50, claimed in an interview last month that Oldman ‘stole my children and ruined my life’.
She said: ‘The truth needs to be told. I would like Gary to stand up and take responsibility for his actions. Will he? Who knows? He has always denied everything.’ Emboldened by the # MeToo movement, she added: ‘He is a great actor. Was he a great husband? No. Our marriage was a giant car crash in which demented things happened. I lost my selfesteem, I was broken.’
And after Oldman, now married to his fifth wife Gisele Schmidt, picked up his Oscar on Sunday, Miss Fiorentino tweeted congratulations to the Academy of Motion Pictures for ‘awarding an abuser’.
‘He is a wonderfully kind, gifted man’