Gary Oldman has a bone to pick with his performance as Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, in the “Harry Potter” films.
“I think my work is mediocre in it,” Oldman, 65, said on Thursday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
“Maybe if I had read [J.K. Rowling’s] books, like Alan [Rickman], if I got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would’ve played it differently,” he said in a nod to his late co-star, who played the infamously grumpy Professor Severus Snape.
The longtime actor, known for his transformative roles as Count Dracula in 1992′s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” franchise, admitted that despite captivating audiences with his acting chops over the years, he’d pitch his former roles “on the fire and burn it and do it all again.”
“It’s like anything. If I sat and watched myself in something and said, ‘My, God, I’m amazing,’ right? That would be a very sad day, because you want to make the next thing better,” Oldman explained of critiquing his performances, calling it all “so subjective.”
Earlier this month, the Oscar winner (for “Darkest Hour” in 2018) expressed gratitude for his roles in the “Harry Potter” and “Batman” franchises, which came amid a rough divorce and custody battle with photographer Donya Fiorentino.
“Thank God for ‘Harry Potter,’” Oldman said in a Dec. 14 appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” “I tell you, the two — ‘Batman’ 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.”
Oldman shares two sons, Charlie Oldman and Gulliver Oldman, with Fiorentino, whom he was married to from 1997 to 2001. He is also father to Alfie Oldman (from his first marriage, to Lesley Manville) and stepdaughter Phelix Imogen Fincher, Fiorentino’s daughter with director David Fincher.
During the tumultuous divorce proceedings, Oldman was accused of domestic assault. Oldman denied Fiorentino’s claims and was granted custody of their two sons, who are now adults.