Gary Oldman explains why he had previously described his acting in the Harry Potter franchise as "mediocre"

English actor and filmmaker Gary Oldman recently clarified that he did not mean to “be rude” to any fans when he made remarks about his Harry Potter performance being “mediocre”.

On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, the 66-year-old was at the Cannes press conference for Paolo Sorrentino’s movie, Parthenope. He was asked about his past criticism of his role. Gary said he did not want to "disparage anyone out there who are fans of the Harry Potter films and the character" he thinks "is much beloved." He added:

"What I meant by that is, as any artist or any actor or painter, you are always hypercritical of your own work. If you’re not, and you’re satisfied with what you’re doing, that would be death to me. If I watched a performance of myself and thought, ‘My God, I’m fantastic in this,’ that would be a sad day. My best work is next year."

Oldman played the character of Sirius Black, one of James Potter's best friends and Harry Potter's godfather.

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Gary Oldman clarifies comments where he called his acting in Harry Potter "mediocre"

Gary Oldman featured as Sirius Black in The Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix. He was known to be a good character who fought for what was right and was unafraid to stand against Voldemort, the main antagonist. He reappeared briefly in the titular character's memory in The Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Gary Oldman's portrayal of the member of the Order of the Phoenix gained him immense popularity, and the Harry Potter fanbase enjoyed his work. However, during an interview last year, the actor appeared on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, and admitted to the host Josh Horowitz that:

"I think my work is mediocre in [Harry Potter]. Maybe if I had read the books like Alan [Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently."

Gary Oldman was on the panel for the new movie Parthenope on Wednesday, after it received a 9.5-minute standing ovation, on its premiere, a day before. The filmmaker tried to clarify what he meant when he called his portrayal of Sirius Black "mediocre". Oldman said that he has always been "hypercritical" of his work and added:

"What I meant by the Harry Potter remark is that there was such secrecy that was shrouded around the novels, they were under lock and key … If I had read the five books and I had seen the arcs of the character, I may have approached it differently. I may have painted in a different color."

The famous franchise had a host of talented actors in the cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and more. They are all widely known for their roles in the series, even 13 years after the release of the last movie. Gary Oldman talked about his preparation for the role and continued:

"So when I started Harry Potter, all I had was the book (The Prisoner of Azkaban) and the representation of that man — one book in the library of Sirius Black. It’s not me looking at the movie and saying it’s a terrible film or I’m terrible, I just wish it had been under different circumstances. Not to be rude to any of the people out there who like that film."

Parthenope had its world premiere on May 21, 2024. Many artists starred in the film including, Celeste Della Porta, Stefania Sandrelli, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri, Peppe Lanzetta, and Isabella Ferrari.