Gary Oldman believes his performance as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films was underwhelming despite being a fan-favorite character. His first stint in the famed franchise was in 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban until his exit in 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Sirius Black is one of the most beloved characters in the movies, yet Oldman does not think highly of his acting in this particular role. He thought he could have done better and prepared earlier.
Gary Oldman Thinks His Performance As Sirius Black Could Have Been Better
In his conversation with Josh Horowitz via the Happy Sad Confused podcast, English actor Gary Oldman admitted his performance as Sirius Black in Harry Potter was mediocre. Moreover, he compared himself with the late Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape.
“I think my work is mediocre in it. No, I do. 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…”
There is so much regret in Oldman’s words as he said he could have done a much better job at translating Sirius Black’s story into the screen. He also confessed that he does not usually feel satisfied with his performance even in other projects.
“I’ll tell you what it is. It’s like anything, 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.”
Despite Oldman’s dissatisfaction with his execution in Harry Potter, the project was very significant for him. At the time he got the job, he was going through a painful divorce. He shared via The Drew Barrymore Show:
“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced, and I had custody of these boys, and so that, in itself, was… that was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in], it was Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places.”
Oldman is already an established actor even before he joined Harry Potter so he had some sort of edge when it comes to salary. In fact, he is thankful that he gets to spend more time with his children and, at the same time, he earns more than enough pay check.
“Thank God for Harry Potter. I tell you, the two — Batman [where he played Commissioner Gordon] and Harry Potter — really, they saved me, 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.”
His passion for acting shone through his work in Harry Potter, and fans are truly happy with his portrayal of Sirius Black. Perhaps he is just being too critical about his performance.
Gary Oldman Debunks Rumors On Sirius Black’s Return
The last Harry Potter installment was released in 2011 though there were rumors of potential new movies coming into the Wizarding World. When asked by Esquire if there’s a possibility that Sirius Black will return, Gary Oldman said:
“I can’t come back. I went through the Veil. I’m dead. Sirius Black is dead.”
All hopes may now be lost for fans who wished his character would come back in some way, but this thought also made it more memorable. After all, Sirius Black’s paternal qualities as well as loyalty will always be remembered by Harry Potter fans.
