Over the past few years, talented British actors have started portraying superhero characters, and some of them have also become fan favorites. Both Marvel and DC followed the trend, but Gary Oldman believes that Christopher Nolan is the one who laid the foundation for such casting with his 2005 film Batman Begins. The action fantasy film was the first film in Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, which introduced Christian Bale as the Gotham Knight.
Batman Begins (2005)
Oldman portrayed James Gordon, one of Batman’s closest friends, in the 2005 film. During his interview with Dan of Geek, the actor-filmmaker shared his thoughts about the increasing trend of casting British actors as popular superheroes.
Gary Oldman Believes Christopher Nolan’s Approach Brought Change
Followed by Christian Bale’s Batman, many filmmakers and studios started casting British actors to portray America-based Superheroes. Some of them have even become fan favorites, including Henry Cavill’s Superman and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Henry Cavill and Tom Holland
Other British actors who have joined the popular superhero franchises include Charlie Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Andrew Garfield. According to Gary Oldman, the constant casting of British actors for superhero roles is the result of a trend that was started by Christopher Nolan.
During a 2014 interview, he shared, “I think what happens is a trend.” The Darkest Hour star claimed that Nolan cast The Machinist star after his audition and several tests. Oldman also mentioned that the trend to cast British actors in superhero roles originated from the casting of the 2005 film.
Christopher Nolan with Christian Bale on set
“And that caused a whole trend, like dominoes. I think it takes one person with an imagination like Nolan,” he said. He also mentioned how it becomes a new thing, and everyone starts following it. “And it’s so blinkered that they go, ‘Oh yeah, now it’s this,’ and off they go,” Oldman said.
Gary Oldman Was Offered to be the Villain in Batman Begins
During his interview, Oldman also talked about being typecast. While the 65 years old actor is known for portraying a variety of characters, he is popularly known for his villain portrayals. Gary Oldman has played some of the most memorable villains of all time, ranging from Zorg in The Fifth Element to Drexl in True Romance.
The Fifth Element
During his interview, he shared that most of the time he was typecast as a villain and he did not want to continue like that. “I got typecast as a villain, the bad guy, and I wanted to turn that around,” he said. The Hannibal actor shared that despite being typecast, he continued looking for different roles.
While he did manage to land different roles, Oldman also claimed that it also depended on “the imagination of who’s casting you.” He shared that the Batman Begins director first came to him with a villain’s [Scarecrow] role. However, he denied the offer, saying, “I don’t want to play the villain.”
Gary Oldman as James Gordon
Later, he asked the director if he could portray Commissioner Gordon in the film. After giving some thought to his offer, Nolan cast him as James Gordan in the 2005 film. He reprised his role in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
