Harry Potter And Batman Movies Practically Saved Gary Oldman's Career And Family

Summary:

• Some of the acting veterans look down on the roles that don't require much effort
• But it was a different story for Gary Oldman, who struggled to balance his career and personal life after his 2001 divorce
• The relatively small roles in the Harry Potter and Batman movies allowed him to both earn money and spend time with his children

Although many Hollywood veterans appear in mainstream franchises from time to time, some of them often look down on such roles, as they are not considered as prestigious as starring in "high art" films.

For example, Anthony Hopkins, who portrayed Odin in the MCU, wasn't particularly fond of his appearances in the superhero movies, as although he masterfully portrayed the role as a professional should, he later revealed that he wrote a note "No Acting Required" on his copy of the script for 2011's Thor.

According to the actor, all he had to do was sit on a throne in front of the green screen, dressed in armor, which he called "pointless."

However, it seems that while some of the great actors consider such low-effort roles to be rather inferior, for others they could be a godsend due to a complicated period in their lives.

Gary Oldman Struggled To Balance Career And Kids After Divorce

During his recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Gary Oldman, who has become an absolute legend throughout his long and fruitful acting career, expressed his gratitude for the Harry Potter and Batman franchises for a rather unexpected reason.

While he has starred in several cult classics such as Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) and Léon: The Professional (1994), Oldman found himself in a tricky situation when he divorced Donya Fiorentino in 2001, which resulted in the actor gaining custody of their children.

With many projects being shot in various remote locations around the world, he found it almost impossible to combine raising his children with continuing his acting career and had to turn down many offers.

Major Franchises Basically Saved Gary Oldman

However, the roles of Sirius Black and Jim Gordon in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Batman Begins (2005) respectively proved to be a saving grace for the actor, as he was able to earn a lot of money for relatively little work, allowing him to spend time with his children.

Although he still had to travel between his home and the sets, he was able to dedicate time to his family instead of traveling to another part of the world for months at a time.

In addition, the aforementioned roles brought the actor back into the spotlight and greatly boosted his then-fading career, as despite his claims that they were relatively low-effort, Oldman absolutely nailed the characters and instantly earned the love of both DC and Wizarding World fans.

The actor's most recent big screen appearance was in Christopher Nolan 's Oppenheimer, where he portrayed U.S. President Harry S. Truman, with his performance receiving high praise from critics and audiences alike.

Sources: The Drew Barrymore Show, The New Yorker