# Gary Oldman as Sirius Black? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299 "2003-01-17T20:44:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/1 "2003-01-17T20:44:36Z")
Given their usual standard of reporting (print first, ask questions later), I’m taking this with a big grain of salt. [EW.com](http://EW.com) seems to think that Gary Oldman may be slotted for the role of Sirius Black in the third Harry Potter film. [Black Magic](http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,405984~1%7C%7C251753%7C0~0~garyoldmanmayplay,00.html) I hadn’t thought of him before, but I really can’t think of a better choice. If this is true, I’ll definitely be looking forward to it. Also, I’ve heard that Michael Gambon might be trying for Dumbledore… interesting choice. After seeing _Somewhere in Time_ last weekend, my wife and I both thought that Christopher Plummer might also be able to pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/2 "2003-01-17T21:12:36Z")
Well, I’ve heard every imaginable rumor about Harry Potter casting, so I don’t know if I buy it- but Oldman certainly WOULD be an excellent choice. We’re not supposed to know until the end whether Sirius Black is murderous traitor or a good man who’s been unjustly imprisoned. Oldman is the kind of actor who could really keep audiences wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/3 "2003-01-18T01:51:26Z")
Gary Oldman is possibly the greatest actor alive right now. I’m not sure if that makes me want to see him in Harry Potter more or less… Re: Dumbledore - I thought they announced an official Dumbledore a week or two ago? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/4 "2003-01-18T03:31:19Z")
If he doesn’t play Sirius, he could easily stand in for nearly any Death Eater. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/5 "2003-01-18T03:48:47Z")
He’ll be great at pulling off the “am I a bad guy or a good guy thing” that will be necessary for the third film. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/6 "2003-01-18T08:02:14Z")
_grumble grumble_ I think Jason Carter would make a better Sirius Black. Oldman’s a great actor, but please not Sirius. Remus, maybe. [sub]I can hope, can’t I?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![NaSultainne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NaSultainne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NaSultainne)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/7 "2003-01-18T08:57:43Z")
No, no, no! NOT Gary Oldman, _please_. Yes, he’s a terrific actor, but he’s far too intense; he excels at playing eccentric, oddball characters. Sirius Black must be played as a sympathetic, haunted, driven character, and Gary Oldman simply does not have that in his soul. Man, another character bites the dust. And another big NO! to Christopher Plummer as Dumbledore. He’s so, _smarmy_ in _every_ role he plays. I could see him playing Smeagol with that slippery voice; “Mmm, my precious, mmm mmm yessss, my precious!” For pete’s sake! Doesn’t anybody else see these characters in my head?? Sheesh.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/8 "2003-01-18T12:37:12Z")
I really hope it’s not Gary Oldman. I TRY to like him. I TRY to understand what the hype is about, but I can’t. He’s the most over-rated, vanilla, unbelieveable “good” actor working today. I realize my mileage varies drastically from the average film fan, but there. I said it. Sue me. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/9 "2003-01-18T12:41:56Z")
Reliable rumours say: Gary Oldman = Sirius Black Timothy Spall = Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) David Thewlis = Remus Lupin Sounds good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Cataclysm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Cataclysm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cataclysm)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/10 "2003-01-18T15:41:19Z")
According to the IMDB [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0304141](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0304141) Oldman is indeed playing Sirius Black ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/11 "2003-01-18T15:55:41Z")
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaaaaaaa _cough cough wheeze_ I thought that said Gary _Cole_man! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/12 "2003-01-19T01:27:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cataclysm \* > \*\*According to the IMDB > > [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0304141](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0304141) > > Oldman is indeed playing Sirius Black \*\* Thanks for the second source, **Cataclysm**. That at least makes it a little more reliable. 🙂 _chortles at **broccoli** ’s misreading_ ---
**Author:** ![Omorka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Omorka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omorka)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/13 "2003-01-19T01:35:39Z")
Back when I was doing my dream-cast list after the first movie came out, I put down Gary Oldman and Tim Roth for Black and Lupin. I still want to see that, although I’ll be happy if I only get half my dream-team. Both parts need to be someone who can hold their own against Alan-Rickman-as-Snape in Snape’s biggest scenery-chewing sequence in the books so far, and who can look as if they could have been in school with him. Most of the suggestions I’ve seen for Remus and Sirius so far (other than Oldman) fail one or both tests. Of course, I’m the only person in the world who wants to see Billy Connolly play Mad-Eye Mooney, so what do I know . . . ---
**Author:** ![katiekilldare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/838e76/32.png) [@katiekilldare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katiekilldare)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/14 "2003-01-19T03:52:26Z")
I’m delighted to hear this about Gary Oldman! I hope it turns out to be true. He’ll make a fanTASTIC Sirius Black. I thought for a moment that he might look too old, but Sirius has been stuck in Azkaban for years. I guess he’d look a little old and haggard. I’m far from pleased, however, to hear that David Thewlis might be cast as Lupin. Ew. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/15 "2003-01-19T04:26:42Z")
—Gary Oldman is possibly the greatest actor alive right now.— Erg: maybe you didn’t see Lost in Space. I could see him really blowing this role. Though it’s hard to think of him as a good guy: how long has it been since he’s actually PLAYED a good guy? ---
**Author:** ![senor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@senor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/16 "2003-01-19T08:17:53Z")
Hola! Gary Oldman as Zorg in the 5th Element. Zorg ruled. “Empty! The opposite of full!” He was the star of that movie. Priceless SENOR ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/17 "2003-01-21T17:19:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apos \* > \*\*Though it’s hard to think of him as a good guy: how long has it been since he’s actually PLAYED a good guy? \*\* Rent [this.](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0100519) He makes an _excellent_ good guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/18 "2003-01-21T17:25:47Z")
I liked Martin Short for Lupin and the actor Ron Moody (Fagin in OLIVER) for MadEye Moody (I wondered if he was the eponym in fact). Of course I also wanted Eric Idle and Jennifer Saunders for the Weasleys, but noooooooo! (though Joanne Lumley would be a great Mrs. Malfoy). ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/19 "2003-01-21T17:43:31Z")
I’ve always thought that Ewan McGregor would make a good Lupin – he’s supposed to look all wasted and strung out at least some of the time. ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299/20 "2003-01-21T18:35:38Z")
I know they are supposed to all be British actors but damn if Viggo Mortensen wouldn’t have made a spectacular Sirius Black. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gary-oldman-as-sirius-black/149299.md?page=2)