The performance that played with Gary Oldman’s insecurities
Gary Oldman is a veteran of the British film industry, an assured and versatile performer who meticulously realises each of his roles, whether it be his work in the London theatre scene that kicked-started his career, his haunting portrayal of James Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, or Lee Harvey Oswald in Oliver Stone’s JFK.
Oldman has the ability to bring an almost uncomfortable level of truth and humanity to characters that we would typically deem as anti-heroes, often given the loaded task of fleshing out the darkness within a story and characters who are grappling with weighty internal contradictions, exposing an open wound and unseen humanity within them. It’s these qualities that made him the perfect performer to play Winston Churchill in the 2017 biopic The Darkest Hour, bringing a complexity and vibrancy to the renowned historical figure that rightfully won him the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’.
However, Oldman later stated that his critical acclaim and praise for this performance sparked a seed of self-doubt and insecurity that took years to recover from. He revealed in an interview with Glenn Whipp that the pressure of playing a real-life person began to plague him, and even after completing the film, he constantly wrestled with the idea of whether or not it had been an accurate portrayal. But little did anyone know that this very project made Oldman question his entire career, creating a wave of self-doubt that he didn’t think he’d recover from, which finally came to a head during his next role in Mank.
When it was announced that Oldman would play Herman Mankiewicz in David Fincher’s film about the creation of Citizen Kane—which is largely heralded as one of the greatest films of all time—there seemed to be no better person for the part. Fincher himself spoke of the challenges of the role and how he needed someone who could embrace the inner demons of this character, a writer dealing with alcoholism and self-loathing, stating that Oldman was “perhaps obscenely honest” and how he had no doubt that he was the man to bring Mankiewicz to life.
Oldman himself struggled with addiction and has spoken publicly about the challenges of being a functioning alcoholic during the first 20 years of his life before becoming sober 24 years ago after a brief period spent in rehab. At this point in his career, the self-loathing in Mankievicz’s character was something that Oldman was very much grappling with in his own life, admitting that when he signed onto the project, he immediately thought about the ways in which he would fail, afraid of not doing justice to the character and harming the film.
“I tell you, the rubbish that goes through your head,” Oldman said. “I know what kicked in my insecurity initially — it would have kicked in eventually anyway — but I’m reading this script, and Mank has all these one-liners he throws out, and you have to infuse them with enough charm to make them palatable. How do you make this guy likeable and not this grump, snarky drunk? That was the challenge.”
While Oldman doubted himself, Fincher always had an unwavering level of confidence in him. Upon the release of the film, he was praised for his wit and humanity in this sweeping story of one of the most famous screenwriters of all time, leading to another Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Actor’.
Oldman’s creative journey demonstrates that being an actor requires constant evolution. Even the most acclaimed performers experience doubt about their abilities. This self-awareness and critical reflection may be vital to the creative process, helping bring iconic characters to life.
