Gary Oldman, the Hollywood legend who starred in films like Mank, The Fifth Element, and The Dark Knight trilogy, delivered one of his best performances ever when he played Count Vlad in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Oldman’s Dracula was a game-changer in the vampire genre, as the actor fully embodied a monster suffering for love. It didn’t matter if he was wearing heavy makeup, or playing the handsome Count that Mina Harker falls in love with, you understood that vampire’s tragic story. It was all the work of the actor, who was convinced he had to be in the film after reading one line of the script.
Oldman appeared in the latest episode of Josh Horowitz’s podcast, Happy Sad Confused, to talk about his career. The Academy Award winner recalled his time making the Batman trilogy, the sci-fi adventure The Fifth Element, and his role in the successful Apple TV+ series, Slow Horses.
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The Sid and Nancy and Darkest Hour actor also talked about Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola’s modern adaptation of the Gothic horror classic. Oldman says that he “didn’t need to play Dracula,” but it was the opportunity to participate in a project with Coppola, one of his idols, that made him do the project.
“It had never even been on my radar to do it or even consider it or think about it. But it was Coppola and I thought that he would do something very interesting with it. And so I felt carried. I didn’t feel that, ‘Oh, I’m up against Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee.’ I felt safe. I felt carried by the master.”
The actor also stated he was interested because it was Dracula from a different perspective. He highlighted the work by screenwriter James V. Hart, who was present during the recording of the episode. Oldman called Hart’s script “beautiful” and one with a different angle of the familiar story:
“I was about to read the script and audition for Francis. And the thing I remember most vividly was, ‘I’ve crossed oceans of time to find you.’ And I thought, ‘God, I’d really like to say that line.’
“What I take away from it is having the opportunity to have worked with Coppola, who is arguably, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest, if not the greatest living American director.”
Is Gary Oldman the Best Dracula in Cinema History?
Few interpretations of Dracula have been as remarkable and so ingrained in popular culture, and Oldman’s is one of them. The actor says that his favorite version of the character was the older one in the derelict castle. “I liked his vibe,” Oldman said, with a wicked smile on his face.
Is Gary Oldman the best Dracula? Aside from the classics, few have been able to leave a mark like Coppola’s vampire did. Oldman’s execution of the subgenre’s tropes is elegant and terrifying at the same time. He is a passion-driven monster who could easily hypnotize you with just a few words — a representation of a vampire whose only sin was to “cross oceans of time” to reunite with his true love.
Source: Happy Sad Confused (via YouTube)
