The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oldman on Churchill: ‘He was a superman’
Actor learned a fair amount of history from ‘Darkest Hour.’
WASHINGTON — At a press tour stop in D.C. earlier this month, actor Gary Oldman — who’s been known to have somewhat, shall we say, interesting views on political correctness — actually shied away from any overt mention of politics on the red carpet for his new movie “The Darkest Hour.”
Oldman, a cinematic chameleon, stars as Winston Churchill in the bio pic about the then-newly minted British prime minister in early days of World War II. And though Oldman had a lot to say about the knowledge gap (pay attention in world history, folks!), never once did the British actor, considered a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, talk about “history repeating” itself.
What do you want audiences to take away from the film?
It highlights the fortitude and resilience and the humanity of its leader, Winston Churchill. We screened the movie, and I could forgive the Americans for not knowing the history, but I was amazed that Britons didn’t really know it either.
What don’t they know? They didn’t realize how close we came to some living arrangement with Hitler.
That’s a nice way of putting it.
We came right down to the wire, and I was amazed that that was not common knowledge.
Especially since you consider yourself a bit of a history buff, right?
My mum, God bless her, is 98 and lived through “The Blitz” and my dad fought on warships in Okinawa. So I feel somewhat a connection there, and growing up in the ’60s we were taught that Churchill was the man who saved the world. That’s what I hope people will take away: To see the film and realize, “Oh boy, we came very close to a different way of living.”
What did you learn about Churchill while shooting the film?
His stock rose considerably. I realize that this was a man, he was incomparable. I don’t know if you could equate him or contrast him with other leaders. I think perhaps he’s there up with Washington and Lincoln. The achievements. He was a man who held almost every major political position, was in politics for over 50 years and wrote 50 books — all of them readable. You’re looking at a man who painted 540 paintings, 16 exhibitions at the Royal Academy, won the Nobel Prize in literature. I mean the list goes on and on.
So you were surprised by … ? He was a superman. An indispensable figure.
You’re getting plenty of Oscar buzz for this role. Does that mean anything to you?
What it means is that there is a lot of work ahead. It’s always nice that people are appreciating the work. It was a real privilege to play the role, and I feel like I got out of it what I wanted to get out of it personally. All the other stuff, I know it’s cliche to say, but it really is the icing on the cake.