Guardian - 15 January 2018, 08:00 (+ 2294 days 17 hours and 20 minutes) Movies & TV
Oldman, who is tipped for Oscar glory for playing Churchill in Darkest Hour, is an exceptional product of a golden era of social mobility, and may be the last of his kindThere is no blue plaque on Hatcham Park Road, London SE14. The fact that Gary Oldman grew up on this tight run of what were once two-up-two-downs behind New Cross Gate station is officially unrecognised. The closest thing to a tribute around his former patch of south-east London is the continued presence of the Five Bells at the top of the road, the pub where his alcoholic father used to drink.Maybe an Oscar will change that. Thirty-five years into his strange, lurching career, Oldman is now the star of Darkest Hour, in which he plays Winston Churchill, facing down Hitler and appeasers alike in the grim pinch of 1940. Under much latex, it is at once a performance of breathtaking subtlety and huge, juicy GIFs in waiting. In other words, it is very Gary Oldman. And it has made him favourite at miserly odds to win an Oscar for best actor. Continue reading...