Gary Oldman, who played Sirius Black in four โHarry Potterโ movies, said he believes HBOโs forthcoming TV series adaptation set in the Wizarding World will be a bigger crowd-pleaser than the Warner Bros. films.
Thatโs because the movies were significantly abridged from J.K. Rowlingโs original books, whereas HBOโs โHarry Potterโ is including far more of the source material, the British actor said in a recent interview with EW.
โWe had to cut a lot [for the โHarry Potterโ movies], and still we could only get the films down to, like, three hours,โ Oldman said, adding that โa lot of character detail was sacrificedโ in the process. โI believe [the HBO series is] gonna do it pretty much word-for-word, which I think, as a viewer, would be more satisfying.โ
Oldman has previously opined that Sirius Black, a character he loves, did not get enough screen time in the movies. โHe wasnโt in it enough. He turned up and then he went through the veil,โ Oldman told IndieWire in 2024. Oldmanโs Black first appeared in 2004โs โHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,โ but he had only cameos in โGoblet of Fireโ and โDeathly Hallows Part 2โณ and a brief appearance in โOrder of the Phoenixโ before his character is killed off.
That said, Oldman told EW he is โproudโ and โgratefulโ to have been part of the โHarry Potterโ films โbecause it is such a phenomenon, the like of which I donโt think youโre ever gonna see again.โ
โWhen you think of that initial cast, someone in the story who doesnโt get a lot of credit anymore is [director] Chris Columbus, who set the world up and cast it,โ he said. โWe were extraordinarily lucky to have those people come back again, and again, and again, and literally grow into those roles.โ
Oldman will next appear in Season 6 of Apple TVโs โSlow Horses,โ which premieres Sept. 16.
Season 1 of HBOโs โHarry Potterโ TV show has wrapped and will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Dec. 25. The second season, which will be based on the second book in Rowlingโs beloved fantasy series, is currently in pre-production at Leavesden Studios outside London.
HBO has not announced casting for the role of Sirius Black in the series to this point. The cast of HBOโs โHarry Potterโ series includes Dominic McLaughlin in the title role alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley; John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore; Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall; Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape; Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid; Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom; and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.
Meanwhile, Oldman once said that his performance as Sirius Black in the movies was โmediocre,โ but he later clarified that he didnโt mean to โdisparage anyone out there who are fans of โHarry Potterโ and the films and the character who I think is much beloved.โ
โWhat I meant by that is, as any artist or any actor or painter, you are always hypercritical of your own work,โ he told Variety in 2024. โIf youโre not, and youโre satisfied with what youโre doing, that would be death to me. If I watched a performance of myself and thought, โMy God, Iโm fantastic in this,โ that would be a sad day.โ
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