Only one man could tackle both Jim Gordon and Sirius Black. And, as it turns out, both roles have been very good to the actor who portrayed these iconic characters from theHarry PotterandBatmanfranchises, respectively:Gary Oldman. And during an interview onThe Drew Barrymore Show, Oldman credited these parts with saving him. Oldman said:
“Thank God for Harry Potter. Thank God for Harry Potter. And I tell you, the two — the 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. Actually, when we did the first Batman, London doubled for Gotham. And I did 27 roundtrips of flying back from LA. I’d fly in for a day. I’d do a shoot a day. And Chris Nolan kindly said, I said, ‘Look, I’m in the car going back to the airport. If the dailies, if there’s anything wrong, then I’ll turn the car around — but you know where I’m going.’”
Oldman continued:
“When we wrapped, I’m in the car to the airport. And to his credit, you know, he stayed on schedule. And I would go home for three days. Come back here for two. Go home for a weekend. Come back for one day… go home for a week, come back for four days. Otherwise, I just felt they’re [kids] being brought up by a nanny.”
Related:Harry Potter: Sirius Black’s 10 Best Quotes
Gary Oldman’s Batman Legacy
As it turns out, Drew Barrymore and her guest, Gary Oldman, are both proudBatmanalums. Barrymore portrayed the sweeter side ofSugar and Spice(Debi Mazar) in the late Joel Schumacher’sBatman Forever(1995), while Oldman is widely recognized as Batman’s friend and confidant Jim Gordon in director Christopher Nolan’sDark Knight Trilogy. And for those fans who don’t believe Oldman is recognized more as Commissioner Gordon than hisHarry Pottercharacter, Sirius Black, check this out. Oldman said in a 2022 interview withEsquire:
“Actually, it’s a funny anecdote. I was not camping… I was glamping years ago in El Capitan. And I ran into my dentist who said, ‘My son’s over there, and he would love to meet you. He loves Sirius Black.’ And it was this bunch of kids sitting around. And I said, ‘I’m Sirius Black.’ He looked at me, and this kid at the end said, ‘No you’re not. You’re Commissioner Gordon!'”
And while many continue to argue the ambiguous nature ofThe Dark Knight Rises’heartfelt ending, in which Alfred (Michael Caine) spots Bruce (Christian Bale) and Selina (Anne Hathaway) at that quaint outdoor café, Oldman has his own opinion on the matter. Oldman also told Esquire:
Well, he [Bruce] found love, finally. I think it’s a happy ending and a wonderful resolve for the resolution of the character.
Coincidentally,Christian Bale doesn’t believeTDKRending is a dreameither. Fans can stream Oldman’s adventures as Sirius Black in theHarry Pottermovies on Peacock and Max, while Jim Gordon teams up with the Caped Crusader in Nolan’s epicDark Knight Trilogy(Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises)on Max — at the time of this writing.
