Gary Oldman’s distaste for the quality of his performance on the “Harry Potter” franchise — although J.K. Rowling herself praised his work in a 2012 interview with Charlie Rose – should not be mistaken for distaste of the franchise itself. If anything, the actor cherishes the series. During a 2023 interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Oldman expressed a deep gratitude for not only “Harry Potter” but for Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy as well. According to Oldman, the pair of projects offered him a chance to revive his career while also maintaining an appropriate work/life balance.
“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of [my] boys … that was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in] Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places,” said Oldman. “So I turned down a lot of work. Thank God for ‘Harry Potter’ … I tell you, the two — ‘Batman’ and ‘Harry Potter’ — really, they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids.”
