TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
THE DARK KNIGHT: GARY OLDMAN
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The Continuum continues its daily reports on The Dark Knight with a press junket, roundtable interview with Gary Oldman, who returns as James Gordon.
Following is an edited transcription.
Question: How was it revisiting the character and getting so much do in this second one?
Oldman: It was very nice of Chris Nolan to write me such a good part. It was great to come back. I really enjoyed working on the first one. Chris doesn't shout and he doesn't scream. I've never seen him be rude to anyone, so he's really sort of nice guy to be around. And you finish and you can get home for dinner and you can put the kids to bed. He doesn't work 17 hours. He's not a lunatic who wants to work, shouting and screaming at people.
So when they say, "Come back and do another Batman," it's an easy decision. Like Chris, he called me up and said, "There's more to do in this one, and the arc of the character emotionally is bigger and you're more involved." And it's nice to work with Christian (Bale). You know all those things are great. It's like a family, really. You get to go back and revisit all those people you've seen before. All of that is very nice. You've also got to think, I've got to spend 10, 12 hours in the company of someone, and if you're going to do that, I could think of worse people than Chris Nolan.
Question: When you through the script, did you feel there was a lot for your character to do?
Oldman: Yeah, yeah. There's a a lot to focus on. I think what Chris has done -- in the hands of a less-talented director -- I think you could watch this and think "This is too much going on. It's overloaded." There's lots of plot, there's two bad guys, there's the mob, there's Lau, there's the money, there's the Joker, who doesn't want the money. There's all of that going on, and, when the script, I thought, "Where do I focus?" Not in a disrespectful way, but there's a lot going on. But you know exactly where to focus, you know exactly where to look. It tells you where to look. And there is a lot to do. It's a big film.
Question: Would you have came back for a smaller role than last time?
Oldman: Yeah. My returning to it was not dependent on whether the role was bigger than the one before. I had quite a bit to do in that first one, you know?
Question: So, would you do it again?
Oldman: I think there is every possibility that there will be a third one. And I think that Chris will do a third. If there is a third , he'll do it. I'm pretty much convinced. It's his baby. He's not going to give this up.
I think Warner Bros., what they are learning now is, with the franchise, because they own it... Maybe with Harry Potter you can do it differently, but they've learned that you just the name Batman isn't enough. You've to have someone at the helm. You've realy got to have someone with a vision for it, and Chris has certainly got that. So I think that they will tempt him with all sorts of things.
Question: In Chicago last year, you were asked you about Heath. And you said that this kid is going to blow you away. Now that you've seen the movie...
Oldman: I did say that didn't I? I was right, wasn't I? I was right. I got a sense of it the very first morning I worked with him. And I thought, "This kid's a bit good!" He was doing a scene in the cell, and that I called L.A. and I spoke to a friend of mine and he asked what's Heath like? And I said, he is sort of tuned in, it's like a frequency, a radio station we can't hear. He's found something.
And that happens to actors over the years when I've seen great performances. (Jack) Nicholson in Coo Coo's Nest. Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. There's that sort of work that you look at and say, "Wow, that's really just goes beyond. Something's happening that's just special." And I think he's done that. There are times with an actor, it's like they go through the sound barrier.
Question: How was he as a person?
Oldman: That's the saddest thing. It's a shame that he can't sit here and talk about it. And I don't mean this in a distrustful wayŠlike Christian (Bale) is very private. It's quite intense and private the way he works and the way he deals with Batman -- not to say that he doesn't have a sense of humor -- but it was more fun hanging out with Heat.
Because he died, people want a dark story. "Oh he was so obsessed with the character, and he was contaminated by The Joker, and he couldn't sleep," and all of that stuff. But in between takes, he'd sit on the curb, smoke a cigarette, laugh, and talk about his daughter Matilda. I just thought he was a beautiful, beautiful kid. I had the real affection for him. Charismatic... you need a whole new word for charismatic.
But it's pretty special work, huh? And he's probably going to get an Oscar nomination. And they don't always recognize this sort of movie. But they probably will with this.
Question: It's brainier than your average action movie.
Oldman: Yeah, and it's darker. I mean really dark, the movie, isn't it? It's intense and pessismitic. I was amazed that he got a PG-13. And I think with Heath, it's one one of the most psychologically disturbing villains that frankly I've ever seen as a bad guy in a movie.
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