Harry Potter Star Gives Major Criticism Of Franchise
One of the interesting things about the Harry Potter films is how much the cast loved them…they might have criticisms of franchise creator and controversy magnet J.K. Rowling, but we usually hear nothing but praise for the Wizarding World from those who helped bring it to life. However, acclaimed actor Gary Oldman, who played Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black, recently gave a critique of the franchise as blunt as it is incisive. He said that even though he loved his character, Black “wasn’t in it enough” and was someone who “turned up and then he went through the veil.”
Sirius Black Didn’t Get A Lot Of Screen Time
Gary Oldman may seem like he was in quite a bit of the Harry Potter franchise, but that’s the kind of optical illusion even a first-year Hogwarts student can see through. Certainly, he had a significant screen presence in his debut film (The Prisoner of Azkaban), but in the follow-up film Goblet of Fire, he only got a single scene, speaking to our protagonist through a fireplace.
He had a similarly brief cameo in Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and his only other appearance was in Order of the Phoenix, where (as many fans have griped about) he made a dramatic entrance and was almost instantly killed.
Asked About Joining The Reboot Series
The context for Gary Oldman’s thoughts on Sirius Black is that IndieWire asked if he would be open to reprising his Harry Potter role in the upcoming television reboot. This prompted the Oscar-winning actor to opine that his character wasn’t around nearly enough for his liking. That’s a problem the upcoming reboot will almost certainly solve due to its additional screen time, but audiences shouldn’t expect Oldman to reprise his role.
Oldman As Dumbledore?
With the cunning insight of a wizard, Gary Oldman proclaimed “I would bet my money that they will get a whole new cast of people.” Certainly, that seems true so far, as the show is trying to cast a new trio of young actors to portray Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Grainger. Should HBO be open to bringing back veteran actors in new roles, though, Oldman would be down to play the most famous wizard of them all: “Maybe in a few years, I could do Dumbledore.”
Harry Potter Renewed His Career
One reason that Gary Oldman likely isn’t averse to returning to Harry Potter is because he considers this franchise important to the revitalization of his career. In a previous appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, he said that he wasn’t getting offered very many roles until he appeared as Sirius Black in The Prisoner of Azkaban and Jim Gordon in Batman Begins.
Those two films helped establish him as a genre legend and Hollywood superstar, and he would go on to be nominated for three Academy Awards (one of which he won) after his career got this much-needed jolt.
Gary Oldman Is Right
At any rate, we’re with Gary Oldman on this one: not only did his Sirius Black not get enough screen time in the Harry Potter franchise, but he would make for a killer Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO show.
If that doesn’t work out, we’d settle for him returning to the Batman universe…perhaps playing a Big Bad like Ra’s al Ghul in the DCU. After all, what would be more fitting for a Harry Potter actor whose character died too quickly than to play a villain who just can’t stay dead?
Source: IndieWire
