Gary Oldman's Advice to Young Actors: "Show Up On Time"
By J. Everette Perry
"The last ten years I've been in a fantasy world with Harry Potter and
Batman," Gary Oldman told us at the Palm Springs International Film
Festival this weekend in California. But change is a good thing, and Oldman's currently delivering a very un-Potter-esque, but powerful performance as spymaster George Smiley in acclaimed British espionage film Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. Here, we chat with Oldman about the film (which impressively had no rehearsals), his advice for Ryan Gosling and working with rascally Colin Firth.It harks back to the '70s in the sense that the film
doesn't insult your intelligence, it's not trying to be the Bourne
Identity or 007. Watching the movie is like watching a Lava Lamp or snow falling -- you really have to listen. The fact that people have the option to see
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and are actually watching
Tinker Taylor, an independent film, is great. I'm personally tired of being
assaulted with sound and imagery. But I don't mean to sound like a snob.
Your character, George Smiley, is an intelligence expert. How would you describe his personality?
Your character, George Smiley, is an intelligence expert. How would you describe his personality?
He's like an old, wise owl -- he sees and hears everything. Or like a cat. You don't see cats panting
after they jump off a counter because cats use the minimal amount of energy
it takes to jump off the counter to the floor. There's a scene in the film where a bee gets into a car Smiley's in, and that's a perfect example. Everyone is waving their hands to get rid of the
bee and Smiley simply rolls down the window, just enough to let the bee
fly out.
There wasn't any rehearsing for this film. What was that like?
Actors
are geographically comfortable. During a rehearsal you can get used to a
table or a chair and then when you show up on set the chair is higher
and all the relationships change and it can throw you off. Not
rehearsing is better.
You've been called "the Swiss Army Knife of Actors." Which roles over the years have been your favorites?
My
favorites are this one, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drexel from True
Romance and Oswald in JFK. Oliver Stone gave me plane tickets all over
including New Orleans to find out who Lee Harvey Oswald was. I really
became an investigator for that role.
I'd love to work with the Coen brothers. They're amazing.
Are there any roles you passed on that you now wish you had accepted?
Not
really, a lot of it is the luck of the draw or what you're given. They
called me and offered George Smiley. If there's a role that slips
away sometimes I think, "If I had played that role it might have taken the
film in a totally different direction and changed the feel." Then there's life circumstances. I've really wanted to work with Woody Allen and
he has called twice and both times I was unavailable.
What's the best part about acting?
Getting
the phone call is the best. You go through a few stages. First, you
get the call from the agent: "You've got the part as Hamlet!" So, then
I'm excited: "Yay, I've got the part of Hamlet" and then: "Shit, I've got
the part of Hamlet." Then I start thinking, "What did I just get myself into?" But any anxieties I had about [playing
George Smiley] disappeared the first day I showed up on set. It was
like riding a bike.
Tinker Taylor has a lot of veterans in its cast as well as some promising young actors. Do you have any advice for them?
Tom
Hardy is an amazing talent and when I complimented him on a scene he
had said to me, "I watched you on TV as a kid. I learned it from you." It was a compliment. There are quite a few
wonder actors such as Ryan Gosling and Benedict Cumberbatch and I would never be presumptuous and pound my chest and say, "Listen here, son!"
Instead, I do the work and prepare at home so I'm ready. And most important,
I'm on time. I hate wasting people's time. Being on time and showing up ready
is what teaches these kids.
The film has a certain loneliness to it. What was the set like?
Very quiet and focused, though, [director Tomas Alfredson] has a great sense of humor. Also, when you're sitting there with all these British actors it really is six degrees of Harry Potter. So there's plenty to talk about. And then there is Colin Firth, with that naughty twinkle in his eyes.
Not really. He'd probably be retired and be rather cynical about it all.
Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy is in theaters now.
Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy is in theaters now.
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