Gary Oldman Once Shared His Take on Political Correctness and Why It Just Doesn’t Work
Gary Oldman established himself as one of Hollywood’s most versatile and acclaimed performers shortly after his 1982 feature film debut. Throughout the decades, he has delivered celebrated performances in a wide array of projects.
ranging from his breakout role in Sid and Nancy to his portrayal of Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In 2018, he achieved a significant career milestone by winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his transformative portrayal of Winston Churchill in the historical drama Darkest Hour.
Despite his extensive professional achievements, the actor has occasionally drawn significant public scrutiny due to his candid and controversial remarks. In a 2014 interview with Playboy magazine, he shared blunt opinions regarding the state of contemporary cinema and expressed frustration with the culture of political correctness.
When the conversation turned to actor Mel Gibson, who had previously faced intense criticism for making antisemitic comments, Oldman offered a defense that shocked many readers.
“I just think political correctness is crap,” he remarked during the interview. “That’s what I think about it. I think it’s like, take a fucking joke. Get over it… No one can take a joke anymore.”
His comments continued to escalate as he framed Gibson’s professional exile as an act of hypocrisy within the industry. “Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews, and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him—and doesn’t need to feed him anymore because he’s got enough dough. He’s like an outcast, a leper, you know?”
The backlash following the publication of these remarks was immediate and severe. Recognizing the impact of his words, Oldman issued a formal apology shortly after, stating that he was deeply remorseful for the offense he had caused.
“I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy interview were offensive to many Jewish people,” he wrote. “Upon reading my comments in print I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype.
Anything that contributes to this stereotype is unacceptable, including my own words on the matter.” Today, Gary Oldman remains a prominent and highly respected figure in the entertainment industry, earning widespread acclaim for his lead role as Jackson Lamb in the hit Apple TV+ espionage series Slow Horses.
The series has enjoyed considerable success and has already been renewed for sixth and seventh seasons. In addition to his television work, he is currently preparing for a return to the stage.
He will direct and star in a production of Samuel Beckett’s one-act play, Krapp’s Last Tape, at the Royal Court Theatre in London, a venue that holds personal significance for the actor’s early career.
Beyond his performance commitments, Oldman continues to be celebrated for his ability to inhabit complex characters. His past work is frequently revisited, with his 1997 sci-fi classic The Fifth Element scheduled for a nationwide theatrical re-release in July.
While he maintains a focus on his craft, he also dedicates time to personal artistic pursuits, including a very specific interest in the technical processes of 19th-century wet plate photography.
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