Hell yes. I’m very curious how this supposed new HP show will be with different actors/actresses in all the roles, especially adult cast. Hagrid, Snape, Lupin, Mad Eye, and the Weasley’s will be so hard to replace.
Yeah Harry and Hermione were so woodenly acted but it was made up by the fact they managed to get nearly every big name British actor in the movies (even despite the Branagh/Thompson/Bonham-Carter history!)
Okay but the Prisoner of Azkaban scene with Snape, Remus, and Serious in the Shrieking Shack is some of the best acting in all HP. After that scene he could have acted however he wanted and I’d still have been impressed 😂 Edit: spelling
Harry Potter films have very good acting. And Gary Oldman was always very good. Perhaps not the role he's most comfortable with, but his acting was nowhere near bad.
While Cuaron got great work from him, there wasn’t a whole lot for Gary to do given how much he likes to be put to work evidenced by his viewpoint here; even that tense scene between the kids, Remus, Snape, and Sirrius is excellent dramatic theatrics on paper, but given the final product it may not have been shot like a stage play given how much coverage the cameras need to get and how many characters need to be featured
I think it’s totally related to the actual quality of those films. Outside of the first 3 by Colombus and Cuaron, Oldman knows the movies are mediocre hence his mediocre performance in it.
Many of them do, thats why its quite common for some to tell you they just don't like to watch themselves acting. Because nothing but criticism comes to their minds.
'"Nice one James" is probably one of the most emotional parts of the entire harry potter series and this legend completely improvised it . Sir Gary Oldman and mediocre could never mix.
100% right. Because Allen Rickman KNEW the ending he acts towards harry a little subliminatlly as a protector. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at harry in the early films he sees harrys father sometimes or harrys mother other times. Its pretty wild. So glad they told him the ending. It really does make a difference.
Yeah, except first HP movie was made in 2001 and the last HP book was published in 2007. Rickman could know a couple of books ahead. He didn't know the ending for the most part.
@@DR_RUFUSnah man. We know Rowling told Rickman at least as early as 2004, maybe 2003. The directors commentary of Prisoner of Azkaban talks about how Rickman played Snape in that movie based on secrets Rowling told him.
He said he hadn’t been told the exact ending at all. He said JK had given him a little clue. Obviously he understood Snape’s importance from it, but it wasn’t like he knew what the ending was going to be.
He's also credited Harry Potter with reviving his career, since he hadn't acted in over a year prior to being cast as Sirius and was going through some personal issues at the time. In hindsight, Sirius is the turning point of his career, where he stopped being typecast as weird, hammy villains and started being cast in a broader range of roles.
2:35 you can still hear the pain in his voice when he says “I loved him” when asked on his friendship with Alan Rickman. The world is a darker place without his genius 🙏🏻❤️
The unfortunate part of this interview was that the person asking the questions was so overwhelmed from the perspective of a fan hearing someone they admire thought they could have played a character better, that it never occurs to them how interesting of a sentiment that is coming from Gary Oldman about this character and never asks HOW they would have played Black differently. And it really seemed like Oldman wanted someone to ask him what he meant, "how would knowing the rest of the story have changed how you played the character?"
for people not driven by ego the are often their own greatest critics. I'm honestly not sure what he could have done better but, I'm sure he's thought about it.
How would he had played Sirius Black differently, though, had he known the character was going to die? The character didn’t know they were going to die, so the fact shouldn’t affect their behaviour.
Warwick Davies as well. That cast carried the younger stars. the franchise blow up that much it’s hard to imagine any other person playing any of the characters now
One doesn’t become this talented without those traits. They aren’t able to improve. A good example of this is the actor that was originally meant to play Aragorn in LOTR. He was arrogant and overly confident in his abilities, and he got the boot because of it and missed out on playing one of the most iconic characters in the fantasy setting and killed his career.
"They killed me off too early!" I suspect that an awful lot of people would agree with that statement. I'd not read the books so didn't know Sirius was going to be murdered. Can't deny I was shocked and actually cried in the cinema (grown man) when that happened. That character had so much more to give.
And that’s the great thing about his character that Harry finally has a kinda family member he actually wants and it’s ripped away from him and it adds more misery to Harry’s story.
I would argue the scene in the Shrieking Shack in Prisoner of Azkaban between Gary Oldman, David Theulis and Alan Rickman is the best scene from any of the films.
I was shocked to see how many “book fans” disliked his performance. While different from what the books make him out to be, he did phenomenal for what the films gave him.
I don't even remember how I pictured Sirius Black in the books. I remember having a hard time digesting Snape since I had formed such a different picture in my mind of him, but of course through the years he grew on me. Sirius, unless I am mistaken, was simply spot on and connected perfectly with my imagination. One capital failure to me was the casting and appearance and behavior of Madeye Moody. I always imagined him as a brooding Michael Gough with an identical appearance as to how he looked in Sleepy Hollow. Although he has a very different personality in Sleepy Hollow than the Moody of the book, sort of filled in that blank.
It may have been mediocre to Gary Oldman, but dang his Sirius Black had a presence throughout the franchise, right until the very end. The chemistry between Harry and Sirius was evident, their scenes always makes me tear up or sob. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has always been my favourite for many reasons.
I've read that Gary met with Daniel Radcliffe soon after he was cast as Sirius, and even gave him a bass guitar since they're both music fans. I always thought that sounded like something Sirius would have done.
@@therealryufromjapan3051😱 wow how original of you... woooaaahhh how amazing of you to throw that out there. Such an insightful thing to say. Get a life man, people have different tastes. 😂 I love him in HP films, Léon: The Professional, True Romance and MANY other films. Gary Oldman is fantastic in everything he does.
Words can definitely describe it. Great acting is valuable artistic contribution to the world and merits appreciation, but it’s ultimately just people pretending to be someone for entertainment. Let’s calm down.
I wouldn't say it's mediocre, but next to his work as Churchill, Norman Stansfield, and George Smiley, yeah. It doesn't compare. But we're talking fine margins because Gary Oldman is bloody fantastic in everything.
'Fine margins' - nicely put. I think everyone has their favourite Gary Oldman's roles. For me somehow it's Sid and his character in the Scarlet Letter that immediately pop up when I see his face, for some reason. Which no amount of Churchills and Manks can overcome.)
Gary Oldman did an absolutely phenomenal job as Sirius Black. He may not feel proud or that it wasn’t better than mediocre, but he is one of my all time favorites. And he couldn’t have portrayed him any better
Made us fear and love him within the same scene, made us cry when he died despite being around for a short amount of time. That’s well enough, definitely not mediocre.
Mediocre or not, Sirius was my favorite character in all the Harry Potter movies. And yes, they should have let him live longer, his relationship with Harry was so interesting.
The range Gary has over his career is insane. My earliest memory of seeing him in anything was when I was 10 years old watching Lost in Space and The Fifth Element. Hard to believe this humble actor in his mid 60’s was Zorg 😄
Another insanely important performance. To me, he was the first adult performer in those movies who allowed the child characters to really interact in the adult world of the movies. Rickman and Smith are truly great actors in that series but their roles early on were as 'distant' adults whose job it was to keep the kids sort of at bay from the adult world. Oldman takes on the difficult job of making that fantastic world feel not just real but dangerous, and he nails it. He gets to be a formidable and crafty wizard while also being a truly nurturing presence in Harry's life. It's all an incredible balancing act.
JK Rowling told Alan Rickman the ending because there is a huge revelation about his character, Snape, which could definitely influence his acting for the role. The big reveal about Sirius Black happens within book 3. After that, there are no huge revelations about the character. So, I’m not sure what bits of information would have altered his acting. I wonder if he even read the books before playing the role.
I think it's pretty clear he didn't read the books - he said as much and also if he had to read the script to find out if he dies, he can't have read in advance. It was similar on Game of Thrones - there was a round table interview with most of the big role actors and only one or two (e.g. Jon Snow's, if I recall correctly) had read the books. The reaction implied the others regarded them as "swots"!
@@theodisius1 oh that’s a good point. If he had read the books, the script would not have given him any surprises in terms of the plot. Also, the fifth book (in which Sirius Black dies) was published in the summer of 2003, right when they were doing the third film which is where Gary Oldman made his debut as Sirius Black. So, he could have just read the already published books if he wanted to know more background/future information about his character. Therefore, I’m not sympathetic to his complaint about not getting advance revelations from JK Rowling when he didn’t even bother reading what was already available!
@tileux you are entitled to your own opinions about literature. However, Alan Rickman did read the books, at least the last one. He said so in his own diary.
@tileux There is no such thing as objectively good or bad writing, it's all a matter of taste. Even writers who are widely considered to be literary giants are only considered so because their writing happens to appeal to a lot of people. It's nothing more than shared taste. But if someone comes along and doesn't particularly enjoy Hemingway or Joyce then that is also a legitimate opinion. Conversely, if people enjoy Harry Potter then there is nothing wrong with that. Art appreciation is subjective and a pure matter of opinion / preference / taste. Any attempt to make declarative statements on the quality of a work of literature as though it were an objective assessment is frankly laughable.
Makes sense. He hadn't read the books, just his part of the script with guidance from the director. He probably thought his character was much more of a madman, seeing the way he plays him in the 3d film compared to how it evolves and changed in the next films
Well it still makes sense he was the most 'madman-like' having just escaped Azkaban after being wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years and wanting to kill Pettigrew in the third film compared to the films after in which more time has passed and he's met Harry and living a relatively normal life in comparison with imprisonment.
his acting as this psycho prisoner escapee before the reveal that sirius black is actually on harry's side is better than when his character is just this nice guy. i think it's mostly a problem with how the character arc was written. his nice guy arc wasn't written with much nuance. that's not gary oldman's fault
He's very endearing and good at playing caring Sirius. But I can imagine he got a bit bored with how little the character developed once that reveal was made.
My favorite scene with Oldman that for some reason always hits me in a really oddly powerful way is when Wormtail is trying to garner sympathy for selling out the Potters, asking, “What would you have done?” To which Sirius responds with “I would have died! I would have died before I betrayed my friends!”
The dude was great in HP. Maybe not his most stand-out performance, but the womping willow scene in POA is one of the best acted moments in the series. So if this is him doing a "mediocre performance," then that's just a testament to how great he is.
"Some directors want your soul". He said it like that line from Dracula, "The green fairy who lives in the absinthe wants your soul". Is he talking about Coppola? Maybe
This is my favourite role of his. Usually I find him too over the top, but in HP he had a quality of warmness that I don't often see in actors. I think portraying warmness is actually quite tricky.
I haven't watched the films but I completely get how he might feel he could have done better. Viewers probably tend to think about the performance in more simple terms but someone like Gary would be adding nuances to each scene that would give a better sense of the characters change over the course of the film and also the whole series. If he didn't know where it was going then he was just playing the character in the moment but then might have had to try and make sense of what he’d already done when the story took turns he wasn't expecting.
Tbf, the character didn’t know where it was going either, so considering the big reveal about his character happens within the same script as the introduction, it may have weirdly enhanced the performance. Now Rickman was in a different position, as the reveals about his character came very late in the game.
I'm more than a year late coming into this but I've only just found the video. It's so lovely to read all the wonderful comments about Mr Oldman. I truly think he is one of the greatest actors of all time. I wasn't sure about the choice for Sirius Black when I first heard it was Mr Oldman but no one could have done it better. I fell in love with him in that first scene at the Shrieking Shack...actually I fell in love with the character in the books to be honest. The scene with Lupin was indeed wonderful and is my favourite scene along with one other which is in The Order Of The Phoenix when he and Molly Weasley are arguing about Harry joining the Order. It's the look of smug satisfaction Sirius gives her, when with the help of Harry, he wins the argument. It's such a subtle piece of acting. So many wonderful films and then of course, there is Darkest Hour, simply magnificent!
I understand y he might feel this way, but the few scenes Harry and Sirius had were really amazing, the 3rd film is my favorite and I love when Harry and Sirius finally talk, and he wants Harry to come stay with him and Harry is absolutely up for it, he talks to him about his parents, just warms my cockles, Gary was awesome in the series, I think like a lot of things in the franchise he didn’t get the screen time he deserved, that’s all
Sirius and Snape were my top favourites of the whole series!!! That acting was really great. Even when i didn't pay attention to acting years back, i somehow unintentionally did for gary. He was just flawless.
He could just stand there expressionless and it would be phenomenal acting. Underrated is an often misused term, but Oldman is one of the best actors (I'd say Top 3) of our time and I just don't think it's said enough. Bloke had the tiniest scene as Truman in Oppenheimer and almost stole the film 😂
He was only able to say mediocre because he was not challenged enough, not outside his comfort zone. But his part was already close to perfection, just enough for the character because he is already a solid and skilled actor to begin with.
He knew his work on HP wasn't anything special, after reading the script "I'm basically playing a madman" It's the typical Gary Oldman phoning it in as there's no challenge to him as an actor
Garys portrayal of Sirius Black is one that gives the HP series the needed gravity to push the fantastical stories along. Not to mention he was one of Harry's father figures after Dumbledore.
Also, I feel like Daniel Radcliffe literally becomes a better actor after he starts having scenes with him. He just paces himself better and doesn't rush. The ease reflects onto him a bit.
Gary Oldman is one of the best actors and most humble decent people in Hollywood in my opinion, together with Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes in my opinion.
Thing is how he played it not knowing is the key. As since he himself didn’t know he played the character as if he’d last the whole rest of series so when he died it was a shock. Just as if you know your about die tomorrow, you will act totally different. More caring, try to see and make amends with people, etc. Not knowing was the key to his GREAT performance as he a,ready said if he knew he woulda acted differently but wouldn’t be as genuine as striving to live and fight to live. “If only”. Means a lot….”if only Serious knew how much time he had left he woulda embraced Harry more, fought harder…..”if only” Gary knew how much time Serious had left, he’d embrace Harry more, acted more passionate, put more effort into his fighting, and his delivery……”if only”. But again it wouldn’t be a genuine performance. It was perfect.
The scenes inside the Order of Phoenix hideout are really touching. Especially where Sirious looks at the wall with his photo being removed. No matter what, he delivered, imho
Agree to disagree. I personally wish Cuarón had directed them all. He works amazingly with children, and is great at giving the sense that there are countless mysteries everywhere that we aren't being shown.
Bro Cuaron had the protagonists wearing ADIDAS and sweaters the entire movie, it was incredibly immersion breaking and removed the magical vibe, and he completely changed the layout of the school, which was very immersion breaking. All of a sudden Hagrid's hut went from being on the lawn to being at the bottom of a jagged hill at the forest border.@@johnwilson5329
I will always be thankful for his performance as Sirius. Far from mediocre to me. Favorite character of the show, a man who cared about those close to him, he had this softness about him.
I watched HP Prisoner of Azkaban and I didn't know who the hell is that brilliant guy Sirius Black until the end credits. And I know very well who Gary Oldman is... That how good actor he is. After HP he became my favorite actor...
JFK still one of my favorite films and Oldman’s portrayal of Oswald was excellent. There’s a bunch of deleted scenes with him that are fantastic including Oswald on the witness stand which never happened.
It's probably because he feels Sirius Black isn't a particularly deep character, even though he played him in such a legendary fashion. This interview is after he's played Churchill, after all. The magic of the man is no doubt that what he looks back on and believes in his own way is "mediocre", generations of people will nonetheless watch and fall in love with the character of Sirius Black and his portrayal of him time, and time again. Testament to the supreme acting ability of one of Britain's great national treasures.
This is a fantastic interview! I am back at work here first day after crimbo and I am getting nothing done while watching this. I may get fired before new year....... worth it ;)
Please do something about the audio balancing for this interview. It's a problem when my volume is at max and I can barely hear it when I'm not hearing impaired in any way.
In The Order of The Phoenix during the train station visit, I half expected Sirius to pull a flask out of that jacket he was wearing without a shirt on lol
forgot I ever even saw this clip and came back to comment and laughed rereading what I had written almost two years prior. here’s what I came to say: his “mediocre” acting in Harry Potter is what earned my undying loyalty, admiration, and respect for Gary Oldman as an actor. Sirius is my eternal favorite.
Only Alan Rickman had the inside line, the rest of cast didn’t know those clues. Everyone should watch ‘Harry Potter 20Th Anniversary’ before saying some wrong info. Daniel Radcliffe, "Alan very very early said to Jo [JK Rowling], he was like, I think I need to know what happens. He never told Chris (Columbus). He never told anyone. Chris would literally say to him ‘why are you doing that’ and he would say ‘I’ll tell you later.’"
For some actors though, knowing the full story, how it all ends, is counterproductive to their process because, as humans, we don’t know how things will end for us. If we did, we’d likely as not change our habits or behaviours. Knowing the outcome for a character inevitably affects the choices you make while portraying them. And it’s not necessarily best for the role or indeed the story being told.
Mediocre Gary Oldman is still better than a lot of actors at their best
Bro literally.
That’s exactly what I thought. Of course he’s critical. But mediocre for him is still fucking good
His performance in "Tiptoes" is the best worst performance ever xD
Can you imagine Gary Oldman playing a midget? It exists!
no doubt
Oscar worthy😂
The adult cast in the Harry Potter films gave so much credibility. The movies would not have been the same without the brilliant cast(of adults)
Hell yes. I’m very curious how this supposed new HP show will be with different actors/actresses in all the roles, especially adult cast. Hagrid, Snape, Lupin, Mad Eye, and the Weasley’s will be so hard to replace.
😂
Yeah Harry and Hermione were so woodenly acted but it was made up by the fact they managed to get nearly every big name British actor in the movies (even despite the Branagh/Thompson/Bonham-Carter history!)
Facts.
@@catintheovenYeah, the kids were shockingly bad, and not just the 3 main characters.
Okay but the Prisoner of Azkaban scene with Snape, Remus, and Serious in the Shrieking Shack is some of the best acting in all HP. After that scene he could have acted however he wanted and I’d still have been impressed 😂
Edit: spelling
Harry Potter films have very good acting. And Gary Oldman was always very good. Perhaps not the role he's most comfortable with, but his acting was nowhere near bad.
Also his final scene with Harry in prisoner is fantastic. The love and relief radiates off his face, very powerful acting.
Is that the scene where they turn the rat into the guy? Crazy shit
That's... kind of his point, he phoned it in and the fans loved it regardless.
While Cuaron got great work from him, there wasn’t a whole lot for Gary to do given how much he likes to be put to work evidenced by his viewpoint here; even that tense scene between the kids, Remus, Snape, and Sirrius is excellent dramatic theatrics on paper, but given the final product it may not have been shot like a stage play given how much coverage the cameras need to get and how many characters need to be featured
Its refreshing to see an actor who can actually look critically at their own work.
I think it’s totally related to the actual quality of those films. Outside of the first 3 by Colombus and Cuaron, Oldman knows the movies are mediocre hence his mediocre performance in it.
Many of them do, thats why its quite common for some to tell you they just don't like to watch themselves acting. Because nothing but criticism comes to their minds.
@@slamdunk2270the first 2 are the worst in the whole series and 3-8 are all great.
@@breesybird9207 said no one ever
@@slamdunk2270 1 and 2 were the only good ones, the rest of them were shit
'"Nice one James" is probably one of the most emotional parts of the entire harry potter series and this legend completely improvised it . Sir Gary Oldman and mediocre could never mix.
He improvised that? 😭
And punching Lucius in the face
That breaks me. Always assumed it was in the book.
It's been a while since I've read it but I believe that line was in the book.
@@kingsley878-y8cIt is in the book
100% right. Because Allen Rickman KNEW the ending he acts towards harry a little subliminatlly as a protector. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at harry in the early films he sees harrys father sometimes or harrys mother other times. Its pretty wild. So glad they told him the ending. It really does make a difference.
I so agree!! I really see it in his eyes how he looks at harry and it makes me so sad
Yeah, except first HP movie was made in 2001 and the last HP book was published in 2007. Rickman could know a couple of books ahead. He didn't know the ending for the most part.
@@DR_RUFUS apparently rowling told him from the beginning everything about snape
@@DR_RUFUSnah man. We know Rowling told Rickman at least as early as 2004, maybe 2003. The directors commentary of Prisoner of Azkaban talks about how Rickman played Snape in that movie based on secrets Rowling told him.
He said he hadn’t been told the exact ending at all. He said JK had given him a little clue. Obviously he understood Snape’s importance from it, but it wasn’t like he knew what the ending was going to be.
He also said he was grateful for doing both Harry Potter and Batman because they paid very well and allowed him to be at home more.
😂
He's also credited Harry Potter with reviving his career, since he hadn't acted in over a year prior to being cast as Sirius and was going through some personal issues at the time. In hindsight, Sirius is the turning point of his career, where he stopped being typecast as weird, hammy villains and started being cast in a broader range of roles.
@@gelchert And then getting Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy and Darkest Hour.
Which are basically Alec Guinness style roles.
2:35 you can still hear the pain in his voice when he says “I loved him” when asked on his friendship with Alan Rickman. The world is a darker place without his genius 🙏🏻❤️
Pretty sure he actually says 'Lovely man'
In reality, they would’ve not known each other that well they may be worked together for less than 20 days
@@Faceplay2 You say that as if it's not possible for them to have known each other outside of their work on Harry Potter lol
The unfortunate part of this interview was that the person asking the questions was so overwhelmed from the perspective of a fan hearing someone they admire thought they could have played a character better, that it never occurs to them how interesting of a sentiment that is coming from Gary Oldman about this character and never asks HOW they would have played Black differently. And it really seemed like Oldman wanted someone to ask him what he meant, "how would knowing the rest of the story have changed how you played the character?"
Great speculation. Interviewers really do wonders on a conversation.
I would’ve loved to hear what he had to say, wish he just would’ve said it.
agree, pretty weak interviewer
for people not driven by ego the are often their own greatest critics. I'm honestly not sure what he could have done better but, I'm sure he's thought about it.
How would he had played Sirius Black differently, though, had he known the character was going to die? The character didn’t know they were going to die, so the fact shouldn’t affect their behaviour.
The supporting cast of Harry Potter is genuinely untouchable. Oldman, Harris, Gambon, Smith, Coltrane, Thewlis, Brannagh, Gleeson, Fiennes, Rickman, Broadbent, Staunton, Carter, McCrory, Walters, Thompson, Hurt and Isaacs (and I've probably missed some!)
Definitely had many of the best actors in the business.
Dogshit movies.
Warwick Davies as well. That cast carried the younger stars. the franchise blow up that much it’s hard to imagine any other person playing any of the characters now
i still think it has the best supporting cast ever in movie history and its why its soo gaddamn good.
miriam margolyes
Imagine being as talented as Gary Oldman and being this humble and self-critical
One doesn’t become this talented without those traits. They aren’t able to improve. A good example of this is the actor that was originally meant to play Aragorn in LOTR. He was arrogant and overly confident in his abilities, and he got the boot because of it and missed out on playing one of the most iconic characters in the fantasy setting and killed his career.
"They killed me off too early!" I suspect that an awful lot of people would agree with that statement.
I'd not read the books so didn't know Sirius was going to be murdered. Can't deny I was shocked and actually cried in the cinema (grown man) when that happened. That character had so much more to give.
Kinda weird for a grown man to cry at a harry potter film tbqhwy
I guess it depends what is going on in ones life around that time@@caoilte8097
@@caoilte8097 not really.
His character had to die to propel the tragedy and drama forward.
And that’s the great thing about his character that Harry finally has a kinda family member he actually wants and it’s ripped away from him and it adds more misery to Harry’s story.
I would argue the scene in the Shrieking Shack in Prisoner of Azkaban between Gary Oldman, David Theulis and Alan Rickman is the best scene from any of the films.
In terms of acting and directing, 100%.
Don’t forget Timothy Spall (Wormtail) as well
👏 It is very intense, impactful and informative. Absolutely fantastic acting, everyone delivered.
That scene is very interesting the way its shot its like watching a stage play
@@ryankeefe2102 I always thought the same!
Gary Oldman is the one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. He can play the good guys/ bad guys just as balanced.
I think Gary Oldman did an amazing job portraying Sirius Black.
I was shocked to see how many “book fans” disliked his performance. While different from what the books make him out to be, he did phenomenal for what the films gave him.
I agree! He should have gotten a lot more screen time.
I agree :) He was a stand-out!
I don't even remember how I pictured Sirius Black in the books. I remember having a hard time digesting Snape since I had formed such a different picture in my mind of him, but of course through the years he grew on me. Sirius, unless I am mistaken, was simply spot on and connected perfectly with my imagination. One capital failure to me was the casting and appearance and behavior of Madeye Moody. I always imagined him as a brooding Michael Gough with an identical appearance as to how he looked in Sleepy Hollow. Although he has a very different personality in Sleepy Hollow than the Moody of the book, sort of filled in that blank.
That's why he's one of the best Actors ever, he sets his standard so high that his "mediocre" performance still looks quality performance.
It may have been mediocre to Gary Oldman, but dang his Sirius Black had a presence throughout the franchise, right until the very end. The chemistry between Harry and Sirius was evident, their scenes always makes me tear up or sob.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has always been my favourite for many reasons.
I've read that Gary met with Daniel Radcliffe soon after he was cast as Sirius, and even gave him a bass guitar since they're both music fans. I always thought that sounded like something Sirius would have done.
@@gelchertYeah it totally is.
Yeah because you haven’t seen good film mate
@@therealryufromjapan3051😱 wow how original of you... woooaaahhh how amazing of you to throw that out there.
Such an insightful thing to say.
Get a life man, people have different tastes. 😂
I love him in HP films, Léon: The Professional, True Romance and MANY other films. Gary Oldman is fantastic in everything he does.
@@LarissaFay you are right wow what an actor
So bad for Harry yikes he lost his uncle
Who was weak lol
So weak!
I'm a Potterhead and I love his acting in HP and everything else he does, most recently in Slow Horses. Words cannot describe how talented he is.
he's so damn funny in slow horses, holy hell
Words can definitely describe it. Great acting is valuable artistic contribution to the world and merits appreciation, but it’s ultimately just people pretending to be someone for entertainment. Let’s calm down.
I wouldn't say it's mediocre, but next to his work as Churchill, Norman Stansfield, and George Smiley, yeah. It doesn't compare. But we're talking fine margins because Gary Oldman is bloody fantastic in everything.
'Fine margins' - nicely put. I think everyone has their favourite Gary Oldman's roles. For me somehow it's Sid and his character in the Scarlet Letter that immediately pop up when I see his face, for some reason. Which no amount of Churchills and Manks can overcome.)
@@PGHEngineer I thought he was great in all Book of Eli and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
His Jackson Lamb is so so so good this guy is incredible
Which films is he fantastic in? EVERY ONE!
To me, he's still Drexl and Zorg.
“If I’d known what was coming, I would’ve done it differently.” Very relatable words.
“I’ve had my soul sucked” - Gary Oldman
I watched Leon the professional the other day, and WOW young Gary Oldman had a phenomenal performance as a psychotic cop.
That's the performance that made him. He was world class
Gary Oldman did an absolutely phenomenal job as Sirius Black. He may not feel proud or that it wasn’t better than mediocre, but he is one of my all time favorites. And he couldn’t have portrayed him any better
Made us fear and love him within the same scene, made us cry when he died despite being around for a short amount of time. That’s well enough, definitely not mediocre.
Mediocre or not, Sirius was my favorite character in all the Harry Potter movies. And yes, they should have let him live longer, his relationship with Harry was so interesting.
The range Gary has over his career is insane. My earliest memory of seeing him in anything was when I was 10 years old watching Lost in Space and The Fifth Element. Hard to believe this humble actor in his mid 60’s was Zorg 😄
Absolutely but I'll always remember him for Leon and true romance
his role in 5th element is what comes to mind first when I think of him, probably because I watched it every time it was on TV when I was a child
Another insanely important performance. To me, he was the first adult performer in those movies who allowed the child characters to really interact in the adult world of the movies. Rickman and Smith are truly great actors in that series but their roles early on were as 'distant' adults whose job it was to keep the kids sort of at bay from the adult world. Oldman takes on the difficult job of making that fantastic world feel not just real but dangerous, and he nails it. He gets to be a formidable and crafty wizard while also being a truly nurturing presence in Harry's life. It's all an incredible balancing act.
Gary Oldman is such a masterful and versatile actor, I suspect he hasn’t had to challenge himself yet.
He already did with films like Leon
His work in that is masterful
I'd love to spar with that genius on stage
JK Rowling told Alan Rickman the ending because there is a huge revelation about his character, Snape, which could definitely influence his acting for the role. The big reveal about Sirius Black happens within book 3. After that, there are no huge revelations about the character. So, I’m not sure what bits of information would have altered his acting. I wonder if he even read the books before playing the role.
I think it's pretty clear he didn't read the books - he said as much and also if he had to read the script to find out if he dies, he can't have read in advance. It was similar on Game of Thrones - there was a round table interview with most of the big role actors and only one or two (e.g. Jon Snow's, if I recall correctly) had read the books. The reaction implied the others regarded them as "swots"!
@@theodisius1 oh that’s a good point. If he had read the books, the script would not have given him any surprises in terms of the plot. Also, the fifth book (in which Sirius Black dies) was published in the summer of 2003, right when they were doing the third film which is where Gary Oldman made his debut as Sirius Black. So, he could have just read the already published books if he wanted to know more background/future information about his character. Therefore, I’m not sympathetic to his complaint about not getting advance revelations from JK Rowling when he didn’t even bother reading what was already available!
@tileux you are entitled to your own opinions about literature. However, Alan Rickman did read the books, at least the last one. He said so in his own diary.
@tileuxfor somebody as well read and clever like you I’m sure
@tileux There is no such thing as objectively good or bad writing, it's all a matter of taste. Even writers who are widely considered to be literary giants are only considered so because their writing happens to appeal to a lot of people. It's nothing more than shared taste. But if someone comes along and doesn't particularly enjoy Hemingway or Joyce then that is also a legitimate opinion. Conversely, if people enjoy Harry Potter then there is nothing wrong with that.
Art appreciation is subjective and a pure matter of opinion / preference / taste. Any attempt to make declarative statements on the quality of a work of literature as though it were an objective assessment is frankly laughable.
Alen and Gary was my two fav roles from HP. Its great to know that Sirius is still here.
Makes sense. He hadn't read the books, just his part of the script with guidance from the director. He probably thought his character was much more of a madman, seeing the way he plays him in the 3d film compared to how it evolves and changed in the next films
Well it still makes sense he was the most 'madman-like' having just escaped Azkaban after being wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years and wanting to kill Pettigrew in the third film compared to the films after in which more time has passed and he's met Harry and living a relatively normal life in comparison with imprisonment.
his acting as this psycho prisoner escapee before the reveal that sirius black is actually on harry's side is better than when his character is just this nice guy. i think it's mostly a problem with how the character arc was written. his nice guy arc wasn't written with much nuance. that's not gary oldman's fault
Yeah I thought there would be some time to get readjusted to being free lol
Better in the books.
He's very endearing and good at playing caring Sirius.
But I can imagine he got a bit bored with how little the character developed once that reveal was made.
@@luckyspurs
exactly, not enough material left to play with
They didn't use him enough in Harry Potter!! It's a shame because they could have given him so many more lines than they did!!
My favorite scene with Oldman that for some reason always hits me in a really oddly powerful way is when Wormtail is trying to garner sympathy for selling out the Potters, asking, “What would you have done?” To which Sirius responds with “I would have died! I would have died before I betrayed my friends!”
The dude was great in HP. Maybe not his most stand-out performance, but the womping willow scene in POA is one of the best acted moments in the series. So if this is him doing a "mediocre performance," then that's just a testament to how great he is.
Sirius Black is one of our favourite characters we all cried when he was killed the most obviously ❤
Funny, humble, handsome, intelligent, best performance worker, there is nothing mediocre about him.❤
"Some directors want your soul". He said it like that line from Dracula, "The green fairy who lives in the absinthe wants your soul". Is he talking about Coppola? Maybe
I also thought of Coppola when Gary mentioned how some directors want your soul
2:12 we're ALL still upset about it
This is my favourite role of his. Usually I find him too over the top, but in HP he had a quality of warmness that I don't often see in actors. I think portraying warmness is actually quite tricky.
It's a very David Thewlis performance, ironically.
You almost wonder if they rubbed off on each other.
Can't blame the man for having high standards.
The way he giggles 🤭
He's got an adorable laugh.
I haven't watched the films but I completely get how he might feel he could have done better. Viewers probably tend to think about the performance in more simple terms but someone like Gary would be adding nuances to each scene that would give a better sense of the characters change over the course of the film and also the whole series. If he didn't know where it was going then he was just playing the character in the moment but then might have had to try and make sense of what he’d already done when the story took turns he wasn't expecting.
Tbf, the character didn’t know where it was going either, so considering the big reveal about his character happens within the same script as the introduction, it may have weirdly enhanced the performance. Now Rickman was in a different position, as the reveals about his character came very late in the game.
um that scene of him remus and pettigrew in the shrieking shackkkk????? amazing sceneee
He was amazing in Harry Potter!!!
He seems like such a humble, kind guy
Insane thing for him to say cause he was so fucking amazing in those films lol. That’s how you know how special of an actor he is
I'm more than a year late coming into this but I've only just found the video. It's so lovely to read all the wonderful comments about Mr Oldman. I truly think he is one of the greatest actors of all time. I wasn't sure about the choice for Sirius Black when I first heard it was Mr Oldman but no one could have done it better. I fell in love with him in that first scene at the Shrieking Shack...actually I fell in love with the character in the books to be honest. The scene with Lupin was indeed wonderful and is my favourite scene along with one other which is in The Order Of The Phoenix when he and Molly Weasley are arguing about Harry joining the Order. It's the look of smug satisfaction Sirius gives her, when with the help of Harry, he wins the argument. It's such a subtle piece of acting. So many wonderful films and then of course, there is Darkest Hour, simply magnificent!
I understand y he might feel this way, but the few scenes Harry and Sirius had were really amazing, the 3rd film is my favorite and I love when Harry and Sirius finally talk, and he wants Harry to come stay with him and Harry is absolutely up for it, he talks to him about his parents, just warms my cockles, Gary was awesome in the series, I think like a lot of things in the franchise he didn’t get the screen time he deserved, that’s all
"she often does" just made me smile. ☺
Sirius and Snape were my top favourites of the whole series!!! That acting was really great. Even when i didn't pay attention to acting years back, i somehow unintentionally did for gary. He was just flawless.
This ma fucka one of the greatest actors of all time
I never imagined Oldman was the sweetest guy. He always play the duplicitous baddie.
He is the greatest actor of all time. Maybe Daniel Day Lewis could claim that title… but Gary is my favorite.
mine too hes up there
Gary is his worst critic, I have never seen a mediocre scene with Gary Oldman in it, the man is a great talent!
He could just stand there expressionless and it would be phenomenal acting.
Underrated is an often misused term, but Oldman is one of the best actors (I'd say Top 3) of our time and I just don't think it's said enough.
Bloke had the tiniest scene as Truman in Oppenheimer and almost stole the film 😂
"Although I've had my soul sucked" I hear you Gary 0:35 we all have our favorite eater 😂😂
I'm so tickled by that bts story oh my gosh. Couldn't stop cracking up. Gary Oldman what a gem!!!
-- "Nice one James" will be forever remembered, what an actor
He was only able to say mediocre because he was not challenged enough, not outside his comfort zone. But his part was already close to perfection, just enough for the character because he is already a solid and skilled actor to begin with.
He knew his work on HP wasn't anything special, after reading the script
"I'm basically playing a madman"
It's the typical Gary Oldman phoning it in as there's no challenge to him as an actor
Garys portrayal of Sirius Black is one that gives the HP series the needed gravity to push the fantastical stories along.
Not to mention he was one of Harry's father figures after Dumbledore.
Also, I feel like Daniel Radcliffe literally becomes a better actor after he starts having scenes with him.
He just paces himself better and doesn't rush. The ease reflects onto him a bit.
I love how he was still literally the best actor in the series, giving consistently the best performances.
I fucking loved Sirius Black in the movies. Gary did an excellent job bringing that character to life.
His character in Slow Horses is my favorite character out of any show I have ever watched.
I'm currently watching that and I'm having a blast with Oldman's performance.
I agree with him, he misses in many scenes, but we love him so much since the beginning that we don't notice
Gary Oldman is one of the best actors and most humble decent people in Hollywood in my opinion, together with Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes in my opinion.
Gary Oldman is such a fantastic actor. I had seen him in a number of films before I even realized it was the same person.
I loooooove him in Dracula. It’s such a vibe. He is phenomenal
I was looking for this comment!
He IS Dracula!
Gary “Old Man” finally looks the part for his own name. After all these years, the ultimate goal has been achieved!
Love this guy's performance in Slow Horses 👏👍
Thing is how he played it not knowing is the key. As since he himself didn’t know he played the character as if he’d last the whole rest of series so when he died it was a shock. Just as if you know your about die tomorrow, you will act totally different. More caring, try to see and make amends with people, etc. Not knowing was the key to his GREAT performance as he a,ready said if he knew he woulda acted differently but wouldn’t be as genuine as striving to live and fight to live. “If only”. Means a lot….”if only Serious knew how much time he had left he woulda embraced Harry more, fought harder…..”if only” Gary knew how much time Serious had left, he’d embrace Harry more, acted more passionate, put more effort into his fighting, and his delivery……”if only”. But again it wouldn’t be a genuine performance. It was perfect.
Gary Oldman is fantastic in the Harry Potter movies, one of the best performances on those movies
The scenes inside the Order of Phoenix hideout are really touching. Especially where Sirious looks at the wall with his photo being removed. No matter what, he delivered, imho
he truly is, now, a Gary Old Man
Gary Oldman in slow horses is just a pleasure to watch.
Started out like a cartoon but did get better!
It's such a shame we didn't get to see more movies by Columbus. The other directors could not capture the magic that man brought to the series.
Agree to disagree. I personally wish Cuarón had directed them all. He works amazingly with children, and is great at giving the sense that there are countless mysteries everywhere that we aren't being shown.
Bro Cuaron had the protagonists wearing ADIDAS and sweaters the entire movie, it was incredibly immersion breaking and removed the magical vibe, and he completely changed the layout of the school, which was very immersion breaking. All of a sudden Hagrid's hut went from being on the lawn to being at the bottom of a jagged hill at the forest border.@@johnwilson5329
I will always be thankful for his performance as Sirius. Far from mediocre to me. Favorite character of the show, a man who cared about those close to him, he had this softness about him.
I watched HP Prisoner of Azkaban and I didn't know who the hell is that brilliant guy Sirius Black until the end credits. And I know very well who Gary Oldman is... That how good actor he is. After HP he became my favorite actor...
he is an exceptional actor...hats off to him
None of the actors were doing great work, but they were having fun and doing what they needed to do.
JFK still one of my favorite films and Oldman’s portrayal of Oswald was excellent. There’s a bunch of deleted scenes with him that are fantastic including Oswald on the witness stand which never happened.
One of the most talented actor in this planet🙌
It's probably because he feels Sirius Black isn't a particularly deep character, even though he played him in such a legendary fashion. This interview is after he's played Churchill, after all.
The magic of the man is no doubt that what he looks back on and believes in his own way is "mediocre", generations of people will nonetheless watch and fall in love with the character of Sirius Black and his portrayal of him time, and time again.
Testament to the supreme acting ability of one of Britain's great national treasures.
This is a fantastic interview! I am back at work here first day after crimbo and I am getting nothing done while watching this. I may get fired before new year....... worth it ;)
No he was one of the best actors in the films shame order of the phoenix he died
This guy is arguably the best actor working today.
And yet, still legendary
Please do something about the audio balancing for this interview. It's a problem when my volume is at max and I can barely hear it when I'm not hearing impaired in any way.
Nah he was great as Sirius😊
I was trying to wrack my brain to figure out who he played in the movies - Sirius Black??? Omg he looks so different when in character!
I can see why he's saying it. Still way better than most actors. Talent always shines no matter what.
He was one of the best in all HP movies, along with Rickman and Maggie.
In The Order of The Phoenix during the train station visit, I half expected Sirius to pull a flask out of that jacket he was wearing without a shirt on lol
Sirius Black is my FAVORITE character in the movies. my #1. my absolute first pick. top dog. and it is 1000000% because of this man’s portrayal.
forgot I ever even saw this clip and came back to comment and laughed rereading what I had written almost two years prior.
here’s what I came to say:
his “mediocre” acting in Harry Potter is what earned my undying loyalty, admiration, and respect for Gary Oldman as an actor. Sirius is my eternal favorite.
My god did I loved him in HP… prisoner of askaban is my absolute favorite part… the love between Harry and Sirius is unmatched…
Only a masterful actor like Oldman could think their acting in HP was mediocre. What a legend.
Well he said it, so it is and I always preferred Gary Oldman in gritty roles, than ham fisted fantasy genres
@@jackwalker5266 Well, I thought both the character and his portrayal of the character were great, not mediocre at all. That's just me, though 🤷♂️
@@DudeDoesNothing Yep that's you but to Gary Oldman he knew it was mediocre or he wouldn't have said it
@@jackwalker5266 Don't worry, I know that 😂 I was just stating how I felt about his performance, not at all arguing about his feelings toward it.
Only Alan Rickman had the inside line, the rest of cast didn’t know those clues. Everyone should watch ‘Harry Potter 20Th Anniversary’ before saying some wrong info. Daniel Radcliffe, "Alan very very early said to Jo [JK Rowling], he was like, I think I need to know what happens. He never told Chris (Columbus). He never told anyone. Chris would literally say to him ‘why are you doing that’ and he would say ‘I’ll tell you later.’"
Tbh I completely agree and somewhat surprised he said that of himself. Goes to show that he knows what he’s capable of
For some actors though, knowing the full story, how it all ends, is counterproductive to their process because, as humans, we don’t know how things will end for us. If we did, we’d likely as not change our habits or behaviours. Knowing the outcome for a character inevitably affects the choices you make while portraying them. And it’s not necessarily best for the role or indeed the story being told.
I actually agree, but I think it’s down to the scripts being so streamlined and so much of Sirius’s character moments being sacrificed.