Gary Oldman once explained why political correctness is “crap”
Most actors in Hollywood end up getting typecast in a specific role; look at Tom Cruise, a bonafide action star, or Melissa McCarthy, a comedian pigeonholed for romantic comedies. But, on the other side of the coin are acting chameleons capable of playing heroes, villains and everything in between, with the likes of Tilda Swinton, Robert De Niro, Jake Gyllenhaal and Gary Oldman being the best of the bunch.
Hitting success shortly after his feature film debut back in 1982, Oldman took starring roles in Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy, Oliver Stone’s JFK, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, allowing the actor to quickly reach industry prominence. Since then, Oldman has been a critical fixture of Hollywood, earning an Academy Award in 2018 for his performance as the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
An actor who has long been outspoken, Oldman sat down with Playboy back in 2014 to discuss the state of contemporary cinema, revealing some remarkable and controversial opinions in the process.
When asked about the actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson, who had recently been criticised for anti-Semitic remarks, Oldman sparked into life: “I just think political correctness is crap. That’s what I think about it. I think it’s like, take a fucking joke. Get over it…No one can take a joke anymore. I don’t know about Mel. He got drunk and said a few things, but we’ve all said those things. We’re all fucking hypocrites. That’s what I think about it”.
Continuing in his strange rant, he added: “Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him—and doesn’t need to feed him anymore because he’s got enough dough. He’s like an outcast, a leper, you know?”
It’s fair to say that his comments didn’t go down very well with audiences, with many calling the actor to apologise for his statements that only added fuel to the fire surrounding Gibson’s profile.
Oldman would indeed apologise for the interview in a statement released shortly after the Playboy article. “I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy interview were offensive to many Jewish people,” he started, “Upon reading my comments in print I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype. Anything that contributes to this stereotype is unacceptable, including my own words on the matter”.
Take a look at Oldman talking about his Oscar-winning turn in Darkest Hour below.
