Gary Oldman Considers Retirement

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Even if the film around him is bad, Gary Oldman is always on his game, having become one of the most prolific and recognized actors in cinematic history. He's played every possible character on the spectrum. Contrasting roles such as a coked-up cop in Leon the Professional and the mild-mannered hero cop Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy. Loving father figures like Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films. Screenwriters gone mad by perfection in Mank. It's hard to believe he didn't win an Oscar for Best Actor until he starred in the Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour. While set to have a small role in Christopher Nolan‘s atomic bomb drama Oppenheimer, his most current role is that as station chief Jackson Lamb in Apple TV+ spy series Slow Horses, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Mick Herron that serves as the first in the Slough House book series. His role as a bumbling, alcoholic intelligence officer is miles from his memorable role as George Smiley in the 2010 adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. And while he is ready to play his newest character for as long as the show runs, he finds that Slow Horses could be his final role before retiring from acting:

“I could see myself playing Jackson [Lamb] for the next how many years, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, for those that love the books and that were Mick Herron devotees as it were, he is already an iconic character. So, if it were to go out with a bang, I mean, retirement is on the horizon. Yeah. I can see it. You know, to be able to sort of wrap it all up playing Jackson Lamb, I would consider myself very honored and very lucky to be able to do that. I would never say never,” the Oscar-winner said of his potentially ending his acting career.

The first season's six episodes are already available on Apple TV+. A six-episode second season, based on the next book in the series Dead Lions, has already been ordered. It's the production's family environment that Oldman praised and also noted he isn't against the possibility of being intrigued by new projects:

“There’s always something that may come in, and you know, get the taste buds going but I’d be thrilled and honored to play him for the foreseeable future. And not only that, you often see actors who are in a series and they talk about a sort of sense of family and you do get that in a movie or a play. The actors and the crew on both Slow Horses and Dead Lions have been wonderful, and should we come back, it really is reconnecting with your family.”

For now, it's possible Oldman may be going into that good night. But, as all his characters, he'll go out memorable. Stay tuned!