Gary Oldman was an alcoholic? Had entered into rehab? Gary Oldman!? This Gary Oldman...
Commissioner James Gordon from The Dark Knight trilogy. An epitome of honesty, integrity, morality! One who knew his duty but also was bold enough to tweak around the system to serve the greater good. Or this Gary Oldman...
Sirius Black from Harry Potter series. A rebellious and courageous wizard. A loyal friend. A great godfather. One who valued lives of his loved ones more than his own. Oh, wait, Gary Oldman was also this...
Norman Stansfield from Leon: The Professional. A cop corrupt to the core. Willing to kill whosoever dares cross his path. Psychopath involved in drugs. And Oldman was also this...
Creepy! That's Oldman playing the lead in Dracula. Blood sucking vicious creature who sticks his fangs into the blood streams of... well, you already would know what Dracula does!
Oldman was the guy after the blood of the US President in Air Force One while a British patriot and espionage veteran in Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy. Gary Oldman has been a lot of characters, ranging from the evilest of evils to the best of the best. His performances are so subtle at times that you may miss the importance of his roles in the first watching and realize the power and depth in his performances when you watch the rerun. And that is why it came as such a surprise to me when my colleague talked about Oldman's alcohol problems. I guess I never thought of this guy as a person beyond his roles; for the latter overshadow the man himself.
So to answer what I asked in the beginning. Yes, as per Wiki, Gary Oldman had alcohol addiction and entered into drug rehab in 1993. But he has since then recovered and lives a teetotal life. He's had a number of spouses, and is living happily with his current wife of four years. Here's a toast to Gary Oldman, a private man, a man with a darkness in his past which he has hopefully truly buried, and an outstanding actor, one of the greatest character actors I've ever seen! Waiting for more from you, Gary...
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