Gary Oldman has been a fixture of Hollywood for four decades since making his debut in the 1982 movie Remembrance. Still, by the actor’s own admission, he has delivered a lot more performances in his past than he has left to give in his future. The last few years have given many people around the world time to consider their futures, and actors are certainly no exception to that. It seems that Oldman has been thinking a lot about his future and where that will be taking him, which at some point could mean retirement.
While discussing his career with Deadline, Oldman mentioned the possible end of his career in what could almost have been a throwaway remark. When talking about his spy thriller series Slow Horses, the Oscar winner said:
“Listen, if they want us, sure. It's up to all the big people upstairs and the audience and the obviously the viewership and what Apple what they say. But, yeah, I could see myself playing Jackson for the next how many years, yeah. 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."
Although the star is not about to disappear into the sunset immediately, it is clear that the subject is on his mind. He is just starting to pave the way to potentially dropping from the Hollywood radar sometime in the next several years. Being asked whether he would end his run as an actor with his Apple TV series, he mused:
“You know, 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," he added. "There's always something that may come in, and you know, get the taste buds going but I'd be thrilled and honored to play him for the foreseeable future. And not only that, you often see actors who are in a series and they talk about a sort of sense of family and you do get that in a movie or a play. The actors and the crew on the both Slow Horses and Dead Lions have been wonderful, and should we come back, it really is reconnecting with your family."
Gary Oldman Will Appear in One Scene of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Gary Oldman has made several movie appearances in the last year, but his upcoming slate of roles is pretty bare, which could be something that has also added weight to his retirement comments. His only upcoming movie role is a small appearance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which will arrive in cinemas next summer, so working on Slow Horses and potentially making the character of Jackson Lamb his final role could end up being a reality somewhere down the line.
Like many veteran actors, 64-year-old Oldman is well aware that roles don’t always come around that may be of interest, but only time will tell whether the actor does find other roles that draw him in and “the powers that be” will allow him to do before the time does come to hang up his acting boots for good.