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Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman Quotes

Actor

Gary Oldman is a renowned British actor, born on March 21, 1958 in London. Known for his exceptional acting skills and diverse roles, he has won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.

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Famous Gary Oldman Quotes

“The industry has changed. Two years ago I could tell a company I've got Russell Crowe and that would get the film made. Now they'd ask 'And who's the girl?' Just one famous face isn't enough any more.”

Years Made Two Enough Film Faces Girl Asks Company Changed Industry Years Ago Just One Two Years Two Years Ago

Author:Gary Oldman

“The great thing about having been in a lot of make-up, and stuff like that, is that when you're working with someone who's in it, and you've been there and done it, but you're not in it anymore, you feel so good.”

Feels Done Stuff Great Things

Author:Gary Oldman

“The great thing about Google is that you type in neuro-surgery and somehow you end up with Peter Sellers or watching Frank Sinatra. Google is a great resource.”

Ends Type Resources Great Things Peter Frank Google Surgery Sellers

Author:Gary Oldman

“I don't see a great difference between someone sending a robot or a drone to bomb people and controlling it on a PlayStation from another country. It's thousands of miles away as opposed to someone in an airplane who is thousands of feet away releasing a bomb.”

People Country Differences Feet Miles Bombs Airplane Robots Drones Miles Away Playstation

Author:Gary Oldman

“When you play a character that is so emotionally closed there are times when you ask yourself if you are doing enough and if it's reading. That is where you have a director, who is the barometer of what you are doing.”

Ifs Enough Play Character Reading Asks Directors Barometer

Author:Gary Oldman

“You always hope that the cloak of inspiration will fall, and you'll be O.K.”

Inspiration Fall Cloaks

Author:Gary Oldman

“I think filmmaking should be a wonderfully free collaborative process, and it so very rarely is. I often see directors as jailers of my talent.”

Thinking Should Process Talent Directors Filmmaking Jailer

Author:Gary Oldman

“One of my career ambitions was fulfilled working with John [Hurt]. I loved his work long before I ever had the idea of being an actor, so I was nervous to meet him. I was like a fanboy, like that annoying character on 'Saturday Night Live'. I'm sitting there. 'Do you remember when you were in 'Midnight Express'? Remember that scene you were in?' And he doesn't disappoint.”

Long Ideas Character Remember Night Actors Hurt Careers Scene Ambition Sitting Nervous Annoying Fulfilled Saturday Midnight Remember When Disappoint Saturday Night Saturday Night Live

Author:Gary Oldman

“Being a good director is knowing sometimes when not to say something.”

Sometimes Knowing Directors Good Directors

Author:Gary Oldman

“Sometimes directors feel like they have to justify that hat that they are wearing they've got on as a director, and they come in and they tweak and interfere.”

Feels Sometimes Directors Hats Justify Interfere Tweak

Author:Gary Oldman

“I went and lived in Chicago for a year , and I studied at the police academy.”

Years Police Chicago Academy Police Academy

Author:Gary Oldman

“The script is your map of the world, isn't it? And if someone knows that if it's well-written, you get all of the beats, it will tell you everything you need to know.”

Ifs Knows World Needs Wells Written Beats Scripts Maps Well Written

Author:Gary Oldman

“Each role you play, they set a bar of challenges that you meet. And in the past, I've played characters that emotionally expressed themselves a bit more in a physical way. It was a joy, actually.”

Character Past Joy Challenges

Author:Gary Oldman

“The book tells you everything you need to know. The book is the map of the world that you're in with the character.”

World Book Character

Author:Gary Oldman

“The work I enjoy is when the camera rolls, and I like the work in the moment.”

Author:Gary Oldman

“There are roles that you chase sometimes.”

Author:Gary Oldman

“Impressionists have to paint with a very broad stroke because you've got to see it within a couple of seconds. You go, "That's a really funny Robert De Niro." As an actor, though, you look at different aspects of a character. I try to completely surround myself with the assignment. It's like being in a big cloud and then some of it rains through.”

Trying Different Character Couple Rain Paint Surround De Niro

Author:Gary Oldman

“As an actor, you people-watch, you observe. And the more famous you become, the sad thing is you lose the ability to do that. Instead of people-watching, you become the focus of attention.”

Ability Attention Focus

Author:Gary Oldman

“Speaking very generally, I find that women are spiritually, emotionally, and often physically stronger than men.”

Author:Gary Oldman

“I was quiet, a loner. I was one of those children where, if you put me in a room and gave me some crayons and a pencils, you wouldn't hear from me for nine straight hours. And I was always drawing racing cars and rockets and spaceships and planes, things that were very fast that would take me away.”

Ifs Children Hours Rooms Car Quiet Drawing Nine Planes Take Me Racing Pencils Rockets Loner Spaceships Race Car Crayon Take Me Away

Author:Gary Oldman

“What other people think of me is none of my business.”

People Thinking Think Of Me Trust No One Hurt My Feelings None Of Your Business

Author:Gary Oldman

“Getting sober was one of the three pivotal events in my life, along with becoming an actor and having a child. Of the three, finding my sobriety was the hardest thing.”

Inspirational Children Three Actors Events Becoming Findings Addiction Hardest Recovery Sober Hardest Thing Sobriety Pivotal Addicts In Recovery Alcohol Recovery Being Sober Getting Sober

Author:Gary Oldman

“Rather like Batman, I embody the themes of the movie which are the values of family, courage and compassion and a sense of right and wrong, good and bad and justice.”

Values Justice Compassion Courage Theme Good And Bad Family Values

Author:Gary Oldman

“Growing up in a particular neighborhood, growing up in a working-class family, not having much money, all of those things fire you and can give you an edge, can give you an anger.”

Giving Class Growing Up Fire Growing Particular Anger Edges Neighborhood Working Class

Author:Gary Oldman

“You choose your friends by their character and your socks by their color.”

Character Color You Choose Sock Good Character

Author:Gary Oldman

“I enjoy playing characters where the silence is loud.”

Character Enjoy Silence Loud Silence Is

Author:Gary Oldman

“Political correctness has become a straightjacket.”

Political Political Correctness Correctness

Author:Gary Oldman

“I was brought up by my mother and my two sisters, although they're older than me and fled the nest very young, so I was technically raised as an only child, but I was very much loved.”

Children Two Young Mother Raised Nests Sister Only Child Two Sisters

Author:Gary Oldman

“I did have a knack for playing weirdos. There's still sort of this perception of me out there as being this crazy guy.”

Stills Guy Crazy Perception Weirdo Knack

Author:Gary Oldman

“Wanting to be a good actor is not good enough. You must want to be a great actor. You just have to have that.”

Want Enough Actors Acting Good Enough Not Good Enough Good Actors Great Actors

Author:Gary Oldman

“My favorite meal would have to be good old-fashioned eggs, over easy, with bacon. Many others, but you can't beat that on a Sunday morning, especially with a cup of tea.”

Easy Morning Beats My Favorite Be Good Cups Tea Meals Sunday Eggs Old Fashioned Cups Of Tea Sunday Morning

Author:Gary Oldman

“Well, I needed the work - that's the honest answer. I haven't worked for a while, a couple of years. So I thought it would be nice to get back to work and earn some money.”

Years Wells Would Be Answers Nice Honest Havens Couple Needed Get Back Being Nice Back To Work

Author:Gary Oldman

“I wasn't ever a huge fan of comics. Just not one of those kids, you know?”

Knows Kids Fans Huge Comic

Author:Gary Oldman

“I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.”

Lying Terrible Incapable Spy

Author:Gary Oldman

“If one could have a wish, or an alternative life, I would've liked to have been John Lennon.”

Ifs Has Beens Wish Alternatives Lennon

Author:Gary Oldman

“My passion and energy get mistaken for anger.”

Passion Energy Acting Anger Mistaken My Passion Aries Man

Author:Gary Oldman

“Interesting things come your way but as you get older, your lifestyle changes. I don't want to travel; I don't want to be in a hotel room away from my family.”

Way Want Interesting Rooms Travel My Family Lifestyle Hotel Funny Travel Hospitality Interesting Things Hotel Rooms Want To Travel Lifestyle Change

Author:Gary Oldman

“The building of America has had its fair share of mistakes, but it's a constitution that's the jewel of democracy, the envy of many, and it's the most generous nation in the world.”

World America Nations Mistake Democracy Share Building Fairs Constitution Envy Generous Jewels Fair Share

Author:Gary Oldman

“Your own barometer is all you have to go by, and often what makes a good director is knowing when not to say something. On occasions you can find yourself on a film set where the person who is wearing the director's hat is only trying to justify his position.”

Trying Persons Film Knowing Position Directors Occasions Hats Justify Finding Yourself Film Set Good Directors Barometer

Author:Gary Oldman

“As a drama student I got into Thirties and Forties suits.”

Students Drama Suits Forty

Author:Gary Oldman

“But you see, I have played more good guys than I have played villains.”

Guy Villain Good Guy

Author:Gary Oldman

“I got obsessed with classical music, I got obsessed with Chopin, with playing the piano.”

Obsession Piano Obsessed Classical Music

Author:Gary Oldman

“I like a cheese and pickle. Nice cheese and pickle on a real old-fashioned bread. Ploughman's lunch.”

Real Nice Bread Lunch Cheese Old Fashioned Pickles

Author:Gary Oldman

“I tend to read non-fiction.”

Fiction Non Fiction

Author:Gary Oldman

“I want my weekends off and I want to put my kids to bed. Those are good reasons to want to be in 'Batman 2'.”

Want Reason Kids Bed Weekend

Author:Gary Oldman

“I was never really that interested in the punk movement. I was a blues guy: I liked Motown, James Brown.”

Guy Movement Brown Punk Motown

Author:Gary Oldman

“I'm rarely asked to play the smartest man in the room.”

Author:Gary Oldman

“I'm still a member of the Empire! Although I sometimes feel like an American with a British accent - you get contaminated after so long.”

Feels Long Stills Sometimes Members British Empires Accents

Author:Gary Oldman

“It's funny: I'm a lifelong musician, but because I principally play the piano it's been a solitary thing.”

Play Funny Musician Piano Solitary Lifelong

Author:Gary Oldman

“My big love was the Beatles. I was more into music.”

Author:Gary Oldman

About the Author

Born: March 21, 1958
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 100

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