Gary Oldman is a veteran and iconic actor known for roles such as Sirius Black and Commissioner Jim Gordon in the Harry Potter and The Dark Knight franchises respectively. Being one of the fan favorites, Oldman could have played a very different character in Batman Begins if he had said yes.
Talking about villains and how Oldman portrays an iconic villain, the interviewer clarified whether the actor was approached for the role of a Batman villain. Gary Oldman replied that he was asked to portray the role of Scarecrow in Batman Begins but he chose to rather portray Jim Gordon in the movie!
Gary Oldman Was Originally Going To Portray Scarecrow in Batman Begins!
Back in 2005, veteran director Christopher Nolan released the iconic movie Batman Begins. Starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne alongside Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul and Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow, the movie was awarded with praise and positive reviews from around the world.
In the movie, Gary Oldman portrayed the role of Commissioner Jim Gordon. An ally of Batman, Jim Gordon, and Batman shared quite a few scenes together but in an alternate universe, it could have been very different. In an interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Gary Oldman talked about how he was offered the role of Scarecrow and he declined it to portray Commissioner Jim Gordon instead!
“Josh Horowitz: So speaking of Nolan actually, I had a few setting-the-records-straight questions for you. Some rumored roles that might have come or gone in your career. Um, one is that Christopher Nolan initially wanted you to play Liam Neeson’s role in Batman Begins, Ra’s al Ghul”
In response, Gary Oldman stated that it wasn’t the role of Ra’s al Ghul that was offered to him but it was probably Scarecrow.
“I got a feeling it was Scarecrow. That was about the time when I sort of was thinking… I thought ‘Enough of this’ [portraying villains]. And I think that it was my manager said or suggests Chris [Nolan] ‘What about Jim Gordon?’ And to his credit, Chris [said] ‘Hmm, that’s interesting'”
Oldman further revealed that he and Nolan met after that idea and stated that that’s how he became the new Commissioner Jim Gordon. In a separate interview, the veteran actor thanked God for the Harry Potter franchise and The Dark Knight Trilogy since it essentially saved his career.
The Dark Knight Franchise Saved Gary Oldman’s Career!
Back in 2004, Oldman portrayed the role of Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Following his fame, the actor was later seen in Batman Begins as Jim Gordon. In an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, the actor revealed that he was going through a divorce and needed the money to be stable!
“[With my] middle two [boys], I was a single dad. At 42 years old, I woke up, you know, sort of divorced, and I had custody of these two boys. “Thank God for Harry Potter. Thank God for Harry Potter. And, I tell you, the two—Batman and Harry Potter—really, they saved me.”
He further continued,
“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!”
After such roles, the actor found stability in Hollywood. Gary Oldman is one of the most revered actors in Hollywood in present times and his acting skills weren’t in vain. Batman Begins received a rating of 8.2/10 on IMDB and a whopping 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and Oldman was loved by all. The 2005 film is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
