How Batman & Harry Potter Saved Gary Oldman During His Darkest Moment
Gary Oldman stands out as one of the most memorable parts of the Harry Potter and Dark Knight films. The franchises wrapped in 2011 and 2012, respectively, allowing the actor to take on different roles, including his Oscar-winning turn as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.” But those blockbuster installments arguably meant more to Oldman, as they helped him maintain a relationship with his children.
In his conversation with Drew Barrymore, Oldman gushed about the flexibility director Christopher Nolan afforded him on the set of 2005’s “Batman Begins.” While Gotham City is in America, Nolan shot most of the happenings in London. For Oldman, this was extremely convenient. “I’d fly in for a day, I’d do a shoot a day,” he explained. “To [Christopher Nolan’s] credit, he stayed on schedule, and I would go home for three days, come back for two, go home for a weekend, come back for one day …” Oldman added that because he was able to fly back and forth so easily, he could raise his kids personally.
Eventually, production for Gotham City in the future Batman movies moved to the United States. As for the Harry Potter films, Oldman’s Sirius Black makes occasional and brief appearances, meaning he likely didn’t have to spend as much time on the U.K.-based set as the rest of the cast.