Steven Prusakowski
When you sit down to speak with Gary Oldman it is tough to guess just who to expect on the other side of the conversation – it can be intimidating. The actor has played everything: a prime minister, an iconic punk rocker, a legendary vampire, crooked cops, straight cops, a wizard, a genius composer, a screenwriter, spies, and even an evil peacock role in Kung Fu Panda 2. Who I found on the other end of the interview was a very kind, down to earth man, who deeply respects the art of acting and also has a insatiable love for TV.
Oldman, who is currently starring in Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, plays Jackson Lamb, a cynical, sharp-witted, disheveled, rude and often brutally blunt man. Surprisingly, Lamb also happens to head of MI5’s Slough House where he manages the agency’s disgraced agents overseeing agents sidelined for their missteps. Based on the Slough House novels by Mick Herron, Jackson is one of the most original and interesting characters on television today, in part to the performance of Oldman.
On the surface the man is actually quite gross – always a few days (or weeks) from his latest shower, his hair greasy, clothes wrinkled and stained with who knows what, constantly flatulent and just all around off putting. You can almost smell him through the television and if his appearance or gassy ways do not make you want to keep your distance, then his personality will. He is as prickly as a cactus and leaves absolutely no one unstuck by his verbal barbs – be it his subordinates or his superiors. Lamb is sarcastic, crude and a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
While it is impossible to not give him your full attention when on screen, it is the nuance that Oldman brings to the character which prevents him from ever leaning toward a caricature or one note performance. Behind the rough exterior is a complex man, one who is loyal, incredibly smart, but also hiding secrets of his own – a guarded past which keeps hidden behind his abrasiveness. In rare, subtle moments, Oldman makes it evident that Lamb is much more than crass, distant leader he shares with others. Under it all is a man who truly cares about his team and would take a bullet for any one of them.
I was honored to have Gary Oldman on TV Topics podcast for a conversation that dissect Jackson Lamb and his work to bring him to life. We of course discuss the character’s infamous flatulence, as he explains there’s much more to Lamb than meets the eye (or nose). In addition we talk about the TV that he loves.
The actor is an avid television watcher and has some excellent taste. The full conversation from TV Topics can be enjoyed below where we cover the TV death he would stop if he could (spoiler is a Slow Horses death if you are not caught up), the “magic door” question about the TV show he would live in if he could, would he meet Jackson Lamb in a pub for a drink and much more. Be sure to listen to it in its entirety. Here are some highlights from the episode. (If you enjoy it, subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.)
FULL EPISODE OF TV TOPICS WITH GARY OLDMAN
Watch all four seasons of Slow Horses on Apple TV+. Coincidentally, the series was renewed for a fifth season shortly before I spoke with Oldman.
On Jackson Lamb’s Complexity
“As each season goes on, as well as the books, as Mick continues to write these books and the seasons go on, there’s more layers of the onion that are revealed. There’s things I know about Jackson Lamb now that I didn’t know going in. He despises the bureaucratic, the whole bureaucracy of the main hub. And, I mean, so the sarcasm and the distaste for it is very much there on the surface. But it’s spycraft. I think it’s almost like a defence mechanism. It’s using it in a way to put you on the back foot.”
On Flatulence as a Character Trait
“I enjoy it. It’s again, it’s to put people off the scent. He uses it as another, it’s another device, it’s another sort of trick that he has. He happens to be very flatulent anyway. I mean, his diet and his drinking and smoking isn’t, you know, I wouldn’t recommend the sort of Jackson Lamb way of life. But it is, it’s fun to play. And people do. I mean, you never see a scene of like James Bond where you hit the toilet flush and then he comes out of the bathroom.”
On Jackson Lamb’s Introduction
“Yeah, it sort of begins kind of like a bit like The Bourne Identity with this sort of bomb threat at the airport. Very high tech. And then it cuts to Slow House, and I wake myself up with a fart. Really, yeah, it knocks you off a bit, you think, what am I watching? And it was, it’s the best entrance, character entrance, an introduction to a character I think I’ve ever had. I mean, opening the door to Harker as Dracula is probably, it’s up there, but it’s a great introduction to a character.”
On Jackson Lamb’s Loyalty
“I don’t know if it’s softness, but there’s a loyalty there to his slow horses. He berates them and bullies them and humiliates them, but would take a bullet for them. But he doesn’t often reveal that side of him. Is it at the end, I’m trying to think, is it at the end of season four where he meets River in the pub? That’s his way of being nice.”
On the Golden Age of TV
“Well, I’m a huge fan of long-form TV. I’ve been watching TV and shows for years. I’ve watched, I think, pretty much everything that’s out there. And really, we are in the golden age of it now. With the streamers. Often you’ll see the best writing and acting and storytelling, cinematography, direction. You’ll see that on a small screen more than you will now. Well, the cinema has become an event, hasn’t it? It’s blockbuster, big CG.”
Listen to the full episode of TV Topics for much more of Gary Oldman’s insights into TV and Slow Horses.
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