“He was one of the best characters”: Netizens correct Gary Oldman after saying his role as Sirius Black in Harry Potter was “mediocre”

Gary Oldman, the English actor and filmmaker, recently opened up about his iconic role as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movie franchise. He called his acting "mediocre" and most fans do not agree.

On the latest episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast released on December 29, 2023, the 65-year-old said:

"I think my work is mediocre in it. No, I do. Maybe if I had read the books like Alan [Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what was coming, I honestly think I would've played it differently. Yeah. I mean, that's just my own ... my wife, says, you know, don't be ridiculous."

Netizens went on social media to give their opinions about the beloved Sirius Black character and praised Oldman's performance.

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Gary Oldman calls his portrayal of Sirius Black 'mediocre'

Gary Oldman is known for his versatility and intense acting style. He has won several awards for his decades-long career which started in 1979. The actor's accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Film Awards.

Gary Oldman appeared on the Happy Sad Confused hosted by Josh Horowitz to discuss his acting projects. The 65-year-old actor said that when fans ask him for an autograph, the Sirius Black role is what they usually bring up.

Oldman first joined the "Potter" franchise in the 2004 film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He went on to appear in two more subsequent movies before his character was killed in 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Sirius Black was an advanced character who was the protagonist Harry's godfather. He sometimes treated the kid like a son, but at other times he seemed to forget Harry was not his best friend, James Potter.

Gary Oldman brought the character to life with his looming expressions in the beginning and turned into a happy, mischievous guardian for Harry and his friends. On December 29, he went on the podcast and revealed that he was not too happy with his performance in the franchise.

Gary expressed his regret for not reading up on the books and preparing for the role. He said that his work as Sirius is not the only one that proved unsatisfactory in his eyes, adding:

"It’s like anything, if I sat and watched myself in something and said, ‘My god, I’m amazing,’ that would be a very sad day, because you want to make the next thing better."

Netizens disagreed with Gary Oldman's evaluation of his role as Sirius. Some of the reactions are given below.

Gary Oldman also went on The Drew Barrymore Show in early December and expressed gratitude to the Harry Potter and Batman film franchises for saving him, both in his career and his personal life. Gary said:

"At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of [my] boys. That, in itself, was… that was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in] Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places. So, I turned down a lot of work."

The actor revealed that acting jobs were drying up for him before he got cast as Sirius Black and James “Jim” Gordon. The two roles made him a fan favorite among genre fans and gave his career the star power it never had before. He said,

"Thank God for ‘Harry Potter. Thank God for ‘Harry Potter.’ I tell you, the two — ‘Batman’ and ‘Harry Potter’ — really, they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids."

The Harry Potter cast reunited in 2022 during the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special on Max.