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22nd May 2024
05:19pm BST
Gary Oldman has clarified previous comments he made about the Harry Potter franchise, saying that he didn't mean to be rude to fans.
The legendary actor starred as Sirius Black in the movie franchise and had previously called his performance "mediocre".
During an interview in Cannes for his new film Parthenope, the 66-year-old said he didn’t mean to “disparage anyone out there who are fans of Harry Potter and the films and the character who I think is much beloved.
“What I meant by that is, as any artist or any actor or painter, you are always hypercritical of your own work,” he continued.
“If you’re not, and you’re satisfied with what you’re doing, that would be death to me. If I watched a performance of myself and thought, ‘My God, I’m fantastic in this,’ that would be a sad day.”
Oldman first appears in the third Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban, where he plays the dangerous wizard and escaped prisoner Sirius Black.
The character goes on to become one the most important figures in the titular character's life, and his death is one of the most memorable moments in the franchise.
Speaking about the experience, Oldman went on to say: "There was such secrecy that was shrouded around the novels, they were under lock and key.
"And had I known from the very beginning, if I had read the five books and I had seen the arc of the character, I might have approached it differently."
Gary Oldman on his prior critical comments of his performance as Sirius Black in #HarryPotter: "It’s not me looking at the movie and saying it’s a terrible film or I’m terrible, I just wish it had been under different circumstances." https://t.co/qbQKhQ90Uh pic.twitter.com/tAJeoILip0
— Variety (@Variety) May 22, 2024
He continued: "I may have looked at it differently and painted in a different color.
"So when I started ‘Harry Potter,’ all I had was the book, ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban,’ and that one representation of that man. One book in the library of Sirius Black.
"And that’s kind of what I meant by it. It’s not me looking at the movie and saying it’s a terrible film or I’m terrible, I just wish it had been under different circumstances.
"That’s what I meant, not to be rude to any of the people out there who like that film."
Oldman plays the American writer John Cheever in the upcoming Parthenope from director Paolo Sorrentino.
He also currently stars in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses as Jackson Lamb, a disgruntled ex-M15 agent in charge of a team of reject spies.
The fourth season is set to release this Autumn.
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