Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black has been praised for getting more than a few things right about the character. Oldman essayed the role in three of the eight films, playing Harry Potter’s godfather who was framed for the murder of his friends, James and Lily Potter.
Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Oldman opened up about his feelings on his performance in the three Harry Potter films, calling them mediocre. The actor also talked about why he is so critical of his past performances, and how it does not contradict his fans’ appreciation of his work.
Gary Oldman thinks his Sirius Black was ‘mediocre’
Oldman, speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, that while he enjoyed working on the sets of Harry Potter, he thinks his version of Sirius Black was mediocre. The actor further revealed that the performance could have been a whole lot different if he had read the books and knew where Sirius’s characters were going.
“I think my work is mediocre in it.”, said the actor, concerned about the performance that he gave in the three films. The actor also spoke about what he thinks would have enhanced his performance, specifically when it comes to the characters of Sirius himself. The actor said:
“Maybe if I had read the books like Alan, if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently,”
Alan Rickman, who played Snape in the production, was famously aware of future aspects of his character’s story, having had them revealed by the author of the Harry Potter books privately. Oldman believes that a similar approach to his character’s portrayal would have enhanced the role significantly.
Gary Oldman talked about why he thinks his work is mediocre
For Gary Oldman, critiquing old work is not about self-baching, but about self-improvement. Oldman talked about why he thinks it’s important for him to sit down and watch his old projects, and what he aims to gain from these viewings, even if they mostly yield a negative reaction from him. The actor said:
“I’ll tell you what it is. It’s like anything, I think if I sat and watched myself in something and said, ‘My God, I’m amazing,’ that would be a very sad day because you want to make the next thing better. It’s so subjective. It’s such a personal thing that you’re looking at that other people are not seeing. … It’s not to disrespect someone who says to me, ‘Oh, I really love you in that movie,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I’m terrible in that movie. What are they talking about?’ It’s not that. It’s [that] they’re seeing something else.”
Oldman, while talking about why he critiques his work, clarified why he does not mean to disrespect opinions that other people have. To him, it is important to critique his work to make the next project he does better. At the same time, he has no qualms against people saying his work is amazing because he believes in the subjectivity of the performance. While he might be looking at the portrayal from a work and trade point of view, those appreciating it might be looking at it from an entertainment point of view, making both statements, his and of those who admire him, equally valid.
