Gary Oldman says his retirement is "on the horizon"
Even with several projects in production, the Slow Horses actor seems like he's preparing to call it quits
For Gary Oldman it appears that “retirement is on the horizon.” In a recent interview with Deadline, the actor—who can currently be seen in Apple TV+’s Slow Horses—admits that the end of his onscreen career is approaching. However, at the same time, Oldman also states that he wants to go out “with a bang.”
Slow Horses finds Gary Oldman stepping into the shoes of the fictional Jackson Lamb, a slovenly spy who has appeared in eleven novels by British author Mick Herron. Lamb leads a team of exiled MI5 agents, and Slow Horses adapts Herron’s 2010 novel of the same name.
Though Oldman is considering retirement, a second season of the show—based on Herron’s novel Dead Lions—has already completed filming, per Deadline.
But Oldman doesn’t appear to be trying to rush to the finish line. In fact, he embraces the idea of returning to the role of Jackson Lamb.
“It’s up to all the big people upstairs and the audience and obviously the viewership and what Apple what they say. But, yeah, I could see myself playing Jackson for the next how many years,” Oldman expresses. “Absolutely. I mean, for those that love the books and that were Mick Herron devotees as it were, he is already an iconic character. So, if it were to go out with a bang, I mean, retirement is on the horizon. Yeah. I can see it.”
“The actors and the crew on both Slow Horses and Dead Lions have been wonderful. And should we come back, it really is reconnecting with your family,” he says before adding, “To be able to sort of wrap it all up playing Jackson Lamb, I would consider myself very honored and very lucky to be able to do that. I would never say never.”
Oldman is no stranger to portraying iconic characters. The actor made his breakthrough performance as Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in 1986’s Sid & Nancy and has since taken on notable roles as Lee Harvey Oswald, Count Dracula, and Commissioner Gordon amongst others. Come summer of 2023, Oldman will appear in Christopher Nolan’s historical drama about the invention of the atom bomb, Oppenheimer, and has two video game projects in production.
Slow Horses is now streaming on Apple TV+