Gary Oldman Triumphs Over Breakup with Harry Potter and Batman
Gary Oldman talks career pause, divorce, and how Batman and Harry Potter saved him
In a recent interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, Oscar winning actor Gary Oldman opened up about the challenging period in his life that led to a pause in his career and how two iconic film franchises, Batman and Harry Potter, ended up becoming a saving grace for him.
Oldman discussed his divorce from his third wife, Donya Fiorentino, and the impact it had on his career. He revealed that after finding himself divorced at the age of 42 and with custody of his sons, he had to turn down many job opportunities due to the changing landscape of film productions being shot in locations such as Hungary, Budapest, Prague, and Australia.
Thankfully, the actor found solace in roles in the Harry Potter and Batman film franchises. Oldman expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank God for ‘Harry Potter’ and added, ‘I’m telling you, these two, ‘Batman’ and ‘Harry Potter’, it really saved me. Because it meant I could do the least amount of work for the most money and then be at home with the kids.”
During the filming of “Batman Begins”, Oldman went the extra mile to be close to his children, frequently traveling between the film set in London and his home in Los Angeles. He shared, “When we first shot ‘Batman’, they used London for ‘Gotham’. Los Angeles… I went to and flew back. I was flying for a day. I was shooting once a day. To be fair to Chris Nolan, I would go home for three days. I would go back for two days. I would go home for the weekend. I would come back for a day.”
Oldman’s involvement in the Harry Potter series began with the 2004 movie “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, where he played the role of “Sirius Black”. He also appeared in “Batman Begins” in 2005 and reprised his role as “police officer Jim Gordon” in “The Dark Knight” and The Dark Knight Rises films.
Gary Oldman’s candid conversation sheds light on how the challenges in his personal life and the demands of his acting career pushed him to seek stability and balance, ultimately finding comfort and security in the familiar worlds of Harry Potter and Batman.
