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Gary Oldman is a veteran and iconic actor known for roles such as Sirius Black and Commissioner Jim Gordon in theHarry PotterandThe Dark Knightfranchises respectively. Being one of the fan favorites, Oldman could have played a very different character inBatman Beginsif he had said yes.
Talking about villains and how Oldman portrays an iconic villain, the interviewer clarified whether the actor was approached for the role of a Batman villain. Gary Oldman replied that he was asked to portray the role of Scarecrow inBatman Beginsbut he chose to rather portray Jim Gordon in the movie!
Gary Oldman Was Originally Going To Portray Scarecrow inBatman Begins!
Back in 2005, veteran director Christopher Nolan released the iconic movieBatman Begins.Starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne alongside Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul and Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow, the movie was awarded with praise and positive reviews from around the world.
Also read:“If I had known what’s coming”: Gary Oldman Felt His Harry Potter Acting Was Mediocre Because of 1 Legendary Co-Star
In the movie, Gary Oldman portrayed the role of Commissioner Jim Gordon. An ally of Batman, Jim Gordon, and Batman shared quite a few scenes together but in an alternate universe, it could have been very different. In an interview with Josh Horowitz on theHappy Sad ConfusedPodcast, Gary Oldman talked about how he was offered the role of Scarecrow and he declined it to portray Commissioner Jim Gordon instead!
“Josh Horowitz: So speaking of Nolan actually, I had a few setting-the-records-straight questions for you. Some rumored roles that might have come or gone in your career. Um, one is that Christopher Nolan initially wanted you to play Liam Neeson’s role in Batman Begins, Ra’s al Ghul”
In response,Gary Oldmanstated that it wasn’t the role of Ra’s al Ghul that was offered to him but it was probably Scarecrow.
“I got a feeling it was Scarecrow. That was about the time when I sort of was thinking… I thought ‘Enough of this’ [portraying villains]. And I think that it was my manager said or suggests Chris [Nolan] ‘What about Jim Gordon?’ And to his credit, Chris [said] ‘Hmm, that’s interesting'”
Oldman further revealed that he and Nolan met after that idea and stated that that’s how he became the new Commissioner Jim Gordon. In a separate interview, the veteran actor thanked God for theHarry Potterfranchise andThe Dark KnightTrilogy since it essentially saved his career.
Suggested:Gary Oldman’s “Hardest” Harry Potter Scene – Studio Used Hot Water Bottles to Stop His Kidneys from Freezing Over
The Dark KnightFranchise Saved Gary Oldman’s Career!
Related:“Boycott the f–king thing”: Gary Oldman Had the Vilest Insult for One Prestigious Hollywood Ceremony and Surprisingly it Wasn’t the Oscars
Back in 2004, Oldman portrayed the role of Sirius Black inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.Following his fame, the actor was later seen inBatman Beginsas Jim Gordon. In an interview onThe Drew Barrymore Show, the actor revealed that he was going through a divorce and needed the money to be stable!
“[With my] middle two [boys], I was a single dad. At 42 years old, I woke up, you know, sort of divorced, and I had custody of these two boys. “Thank God for Harry Potter. Thank God for Harry Potter. And, I tell you, the two—Batman and Harry Potter—really, they saved me.”
He further continued,
“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!”
After such roles, the actor found stability in Hollywood. Gary Oldman is one of the most revered actors in Hollywood in present times and his acting skills weren’t in vain.Batman Beginsreceived a rating of 8.2/10 on IMDB and a whopping 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and Oldman was loved by all. The 2005 film is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
Visarg Acharya
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3262
Visarg Acharya is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 3000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past three years and a copywriter at a corporation. Visarg usually covers news and theories on the MCU and the DCU, with an emphasis on Avengers and Superman; Game of Thrones, and more.A Tarantino fan, Visarg, spends his time critiquing various directors’ filmographies and watching them with curiosity. Medieval fantasy like The Lord of the Rings or sci-fi movies like Interstellar, watching the latest horror movies, and listening to Hans Zimmer become his comfort zone. When idle, he can be found reading fantasy novels with a terrible cup of coffee in hand.
