Gary Oldman discusses ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 and his unique approach to picking roles by simply saying ‘no’
The variety of characters depicted by Gary Oldman over the last forty years could easily be mistaken for an oversight.
It’s hard to believe that the same actor has portrayed Dracula, Winston Churchill, Sid Vicious and Lee Harvey Oswald. Let’s not forget Jackson Lamb, the comically unkempt super detective from Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses,” which is back for its fourth season (new episodes available every Wednesday).
Oldman, with a self-deprecating sense of humor, can’t help but make a playful comment about his latest role, suggesting Lamb could be imagined as a messy version of James Bond’s secretive superior M, considering his issues with flatulence, a fondness for alcohol, and his lack of showering.
“Some clever person remarked, ‘Oldman played (spy) George Smiley (in the 2011 film “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), and now he’s playing George Smelly,” Oldman shares with YSL News. “I wish I would have thought of that.”
However, George Smelly remains as skilled as ever. In this new season, Lamb, head of a group of highly skilled misfits from the MI5 spy agency, must rely on his instincts, connections, and occasionally a big taxi to confront a new adversary threatening one of his agents.
In the previous season, the Slow Horses team uncovered a secretive group of assassins employed by the head of MI5. This season sees Lamb’s young agent, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), in France, caught up with a mercenary group connected to both the Horses and his family history.
“This season has become more personal for Lamb; it hits very close to home,” Oldman, 66, shares from his home in Palm Springs, California, after recently finishing production on Season 5 in England.
“We now have a villain who is closely linked to the Slow Horses,” he explains. “Overall, we maintain the same creative team; we’re just refreshing the story.”
After four seasons, the ‘Slow Horses’ cast feels like ‘family,’ says Gary Oldman
Oldman expresses his affection not only for the show, based on Mick Herron’s novels, but also for his fellow cast members, including Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner, his MI5 adversary, and Jonathan Pryce as his former supervisor David Cartwright. (This year, the show has nine Emmy nominations, competing for best drama.)
<p“By this point, we all feel like family—the cast and crew meet regularly,” states Oldman.
When asked how he decides on the characters he portrays, Oldman reveals that it often comes down to “just saying ‘no’ to almost everything. Honestly, there are times I think, ‘I shouldn’t play Churchill—that’s absurd.’ If a particular role keeps coming back, that’s when I realize it might be something to consider.”
Oldman’s commitment to “Horses” originated from his amusing list of requests he presented to his producing partner, Douglas Urbanski.
“I told Doug, and I promise this is true, ‘Please find me a role where I can use my natural accent, avoid costume changes, and I’m not getting covered in blood or mud,’” he recalls. “Oh, and I want it to be a long-format TV show with exceptional writing.”
A few weeks later, while traveling together, Urbanski burst into laughter while perusing a script.
“I asked him, ‘What’s so funny?’ and Doug replied, ‘I’m reading about a character who’s destined to be your best friend,’” Oldman recounts. “It felt like fate.”
For Gary Oldman, playing Jackson Lamb brings joy because he ‘cuts through all the nonsense’
Oldman shares that his favorite aspect of portraying Lamb is his straightforwardness. “He cuts through all the nonsense, which is fantastic,” he states.
For now, Oldman is happy to continue embodying Lamb’s disheveled character for “as long as Apple allows us to keep making the show,” and he currently has no significant film roles lined up.
This doesn’t mean he doesn’t cherish memories of his past roles. He notably starred in the title role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram” In “Stoker’s Dracula” (1992), he was excited to collaborate with the esteemed director for one memorable line. “When I read the line, ‘I’ve crossed oceans of time to find you,’ I thought, wow, creating a film just to deliver that line is worth it.”
One of his lasting memories is his role alongside Anthony Hopkins, who is both a mentor and friend, in Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal” (2001). This was one of the few films he agreed to participate in immediately, taking on the character Mason Verger, who is Hannibal Lecter’s last victim.
“Tony (Hopkins) is truly inspiring. Although he might jokingly say (here Oldman does an impression of Hopkins), ‘Oh, acting is simple, just learn your lines and try not to trip over the furniture,’ that’s not entirely accurate. In reality, it demands a lot of hard work.”
Oldman mentions he applies that same dedication to “Horses,” aiming to set an example for the younger actors. “You arrive early having done your homework, memorized your lines, and are prepared, and within that, you strive to have some fun,” he explains.
Even with its fair share of violence in “Horses,” it’s evident that Oldman is enjoying himself—whether he’s delivering sharp criticism to his subordinates or insisting that his workspace stays in disarray.
“I’m often mistaken for a delivery person or a homeless individual,” he remarks with a laugh. “But that’s all part of the spy game, isn’t it? Judging a book by its cover. People tend to underestimate you, which Lamb cleverly exploits.”
That’s definitely true. But honestly, can’t he at least shower once in a while?
Oldman chuckles. “Well, in Season 3, I did clean my armpits,” he responds. “Is that good enough for you?”
