Gary Oldman (Dracula, Batman Begins) sat down with Variety to discuss his character, Jackson Lamb, on the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses. His process for getting into the role began with an analysis of the Slough House novels by Mick Herron (Dead Lions, Real Tigers), on which the show’s story is based.
Then, he analyzed the scripts. “In terms of creating character, this all comes from the imagination of Mick,” he said. “It’s very detailed and the books are full of information. A lot of the work of putting this man together has been done for me. I get ideas as I read and go along. There are things in the book and script that spark conversations in your head.”
As per Variety, Oldman appreciates that, in a television series, you have time to experience a character fully. “With a movie, you don’t really have a rehearsal. You have a two-hour window to tell your story, and a lot of that character richness has to go because you’ve got a short window. This is a growing thing,” he said. “I’m experiencing other dynamics of Lamb as the seasons go along.”
Variety notes that a part of Oldman does feel an emotional connection to Jackson. “My parents divorced when I was young, I’ve had the death of my parents, I’ve been divorced, I’ve been in love, I’ve been out of love, I used to drink — and I’m 27 years sober — but guilt, shame and all the things we experience as people, you bring to the work.”
Oldman stars alongside Jack Lowden (Mary Queen Of Scotts, Dunkirk) Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes, Three-Body Problem) and Kristen Scott Thomas (The Horse Whisperer, Only God Forgives). To him, the on-screen interplay with them is like a tennis match. “You hit the ball, they hit back and throw up an interesting spin on it,” he said. You have this back-and-forth with all those actors, who have wonderful instincts and intuition. They bring their magic, and they bring their humanity to it. I’ve been doing it all these years, but I still get that thrill of running it through with the others when they’re that good — they’re seasoned pros and they’re wonderful at their job.”
To read the interview with Oldman in its entirety, click here.