The Fake Gary Oldman Who Managed To Deceive Hollywood

Hollywood has seen its fair share of strange stories, but one of the most unusual involves a man pretending to be Gary Oldman and nearly getting away with it. The story goes back to the late 1990s, during the casting process for the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon.

At the time, several big names were competing for the lead role, including Edward Norton and Kevin Spacey. But behind the scenes, something very unexpected was happening. An unknown person began reaching out to key figures connected to the project, pretending to be Gary Oldman.

The impersonator reportedly called producer and actor Danny DeVito, speaking in a way that convinced people he was the real actor. He asked about the script and showed interest in the role, just like a serious contender would.

The situation didn’t stop there. The same person also contacted director Miloš Forman and casting director Francine Maisler. He claimed that he was no longer working with his agents and needed to communicate directly.

This added to the illusion and made the story sound believable. At one point, a filmed audition was even submitted, and many people in the industry thought it was actually Oldman trying out for the role.

The truth only came out by accident. Douglas Urbanski, who is Gary Oldman’s real manager, started to hear about these conversations when Danny DeVito reached out to confirm some details. Something didn’t feel right.

Urbanski quickly realized that Oldman had not made any of those calls. “I said Gary didn’t call Danny, and he doesn’t live in London,” Urbanski explained, according to accounts of the situation. That was the first clear sign that something strange was going on.

The final piece of the puzzle came during a random real-life meeting. Oldman himself ran into the film’s co-writer, Larry Karaszewski, while their children were spending time together.

During their conversation, Karaszewski casually mentioned how much he liked Oldman’s recent audition tape. That completely confused the actor, since he had never auditioned for the film.

Urbanski later shared the moment, saying, “Gary Oldman, the real one, calls me at home last Friday and said, ‘Boy, do I have a strange story to tell you.’” That’s when everyone realized they had been dealing with an impersonator the whole time.

In the end, the role of Andy Kaufman went to Jim Carrey. His performance became one of the most talked-about parts of the film. Carrey was fully committed to the role and stayed in character even when the cameras were not rolling.

He often acted as Kaufman’s alter ego, Tony Clifton, which created a lot of intense and chaotic moments on set. Actor Paul Giamatti later spoke about the experience, describing it as unpredictable and difficult at times.

Meanwhile, Gary Oldman moved on with his career and continued to build his reputation as one of the most respected actors in the industry. Today, he stars as Jackson Lamb in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, which remains very popular. The sixth season has already been filmed and is expected to come out later this year, based on books by Mick Herron.

Oldman is also returning to the big screen with a special re-release of The Fifth Element, his 1997 sci-fi film, and is involved in the upcoming video game Squadron 42, where he plays Admiral Ernst Bishop. On top of that, he recently returned to the theater for a limited run of Krapp’s Last Tape, showing that he still enjoys performing in different formats.

This strange story about the fake Gary Oldman remains one of Hollywood’s most bizarre casting moments. It shows just how far someone went to chase a dream, and how even experienced professionals can be fooled under the right circumstances.

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