It’s high time someone noticed how much Gary Oldman does. The fact that he’s one of the most underrated stars in Hollywood is a bit of tragedy considering that he’s played some of the most memorable roles in films throughout his long history. Even the lesser known roles that he performed have been an important addition to his career as they’ve shown his level of commitment and continued development throughout the years. Gary Oldman is going to be honored at the Hollywood Film Awards and it seems like it’s been a long time coming.
He’s been seen as a calm and very measured character and then a completely nuts and out of control character in his many appearances. It’s a little too obvious that he’s a great actor and yet he almost never seems to be given as much praise as he really deserves. One reason is that he is a very private person and doesn’t often give paparazzi or anyone else a chance to observe him outside of award shows or anywhere else. He has actually been heard to say that he doesn’t have the energy for being famous. That might sound just a little strange since he’s one of the most known men in Hollywood, but the truth is that we don’t often hear a lot from Oldman until it’s time for another film to come out.
Another thing that’s evident is that his roles usually lean towards the more larcenous and suspect than they do towards the protagonist side of the field. He excels in playing the villain as it allows him to go a bit crazier and show his wild side in a way that people have come to love. From his role in State of Grace to Leon: The Professional and even to the role he played in The Fifth Element, Oldman has shown that he possesses the capability of going from zero to psycho in a couple seconds flat. That’s part of what makes him one of the absolute best actors ever and shows just why he such a controlled and masterful actor.
He can also play serious roles, such as his role in the Harry Potter series and his most recent role as William Churchill. Gary Oldman is in some ways like a chameleon since he can mask his voice as well. Recall that he played the part of Mason Verger in Hannibal, a role in which he had to play a wheelchair-bound and very rich individual that was bent on the capture and destruction of Hannibal Lecter. He wasn’t entirely off the rails with this role, but he certainly nailed it since he fooled a lot of people who had no idea that this was him.
Finally standing up and realizing just what this man has contributed to film is a push in the right direction finally, especially since it means that Hollywood might be starting to pay attention to real talent.
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