Summary
Harry Potteractor Gary Oldman clarifies his remarks about thinking his performance in the films is “mediocre.” Oldman joined theHarry Pottercastin 2004’sHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanin which he played Sirius, the imprisoned godfather to Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry. The actor ultimately bid farewell to the character with 2007’s well-receivedHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In an interview last December, however, Oldmancriticized his Sirius Black performance as “mediocre.”
At a recent press conference at the Cannes Film Festival for his new film,Parthenope, Oldman further explained his critique of his own performance, which he had seemingly directed more atHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. According to Oldman,being self-critical is all part of growing as an actor, but he also wishes he had been privy to Sirius' larger arc from the beginning. Check out his comment (viaVariety) below:
“What I meant by that is, as any artist or any actor or painter, you are always hypercritical of your own work. If you’re not, and you’re satisfied with what you’re doing, that would be death to me. If I watched a performance of myself and thought, ‘My God, I’m fantastic in this,’ that would be a sad day.
“There was such secrecy that was shrouded around the novels, they were under lock and key. And had I known from the very beginning, if I had read the five books and I had seen the arc of the character, I might have approached it differently.
“I may have looked at it differently and painted in a different color. So when I started ‘Harry Potter,’ all I had was the book, ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban,’ and that one representation of that man. One book in the library of Sirius Black. And that’s kind of what I meant by it. It’s not me looking at the movie and saying it’s a terrible film or I’m terrible, I just wish it had been under different circumstances. That’s what I meant, not to be rude to any of the people out there who like that film.”
Gary Oldman’s Harry Potter Criticism Explained
Sirius Black Is Still A Beloved Character
While theHarry Pottermoviesare largely consistent in terms of Harry’s arc in a broader sense, there are a number of tonal and character changes that take place over the course of the franchise. Much of this happens just because all eight films aren’t directed by the same person. Alfonso Cuarón’sHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanis darker than its predecessors and features notably different production design, and much of this evolves again when David Yates joins as director forHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius is notably more put together compared to the manic madness he exudes in parts of theHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanending. Some of this could just be due to the narrative necessity of the latter film, with Sirius being positioned as a villain for much of the runtime. Oldman’s most recent comments, however, suggest thatsome of the differences between the two movies in terms of his performance are also due to him not knowing when he first took on the role how Sirius' arc would conclude.
How Sirius Black Escaped Azkaban: Everything The Harry Potter Movies Missed About The Wizarding Prison
The Harry Potter movies never explained how Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, but that wasn’t all the films missed about the notorious prison.
There may be some inconsistencies with Sirius as a character across the third and fifthHarry Potterfilms, butOldman’s performance is also undeniably a highlight of the franchise. The character is genuinely menacing before the truth is revealed about his allegiances, but he also becomes the epitome of a kindhearted father figure to Harry, making his death all the more tragic. While Oldman would evidently make some changes to hisHarry Potterfranchise performance, this doesn’t seem to be a sentiment widely shared by audiences.
Source:Variety
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
