Gary Oldman almost feels like a like an "honorary" member of Sir WInston Churchill’s family after his starring role in ‘Darkest Hour’.
The 59-year-old actor has been nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role gong at this year’s BAFTA Awards on Sunday night (18.02.18) for his performance as the iconic British Prime Minister, and, speaking on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall, Oldman admitted that he was initially intimidated by the prospect of playing the war-time leader.
He confessed: "It was pretty daunting, but the good news is the Chruchill family really embraced the film and the performance. So I feel almost like an honorary family member now."
Oldman prepared extensively for his role in the Joe Wright-directed movie.
But he revealed that, in the end, he developed a "creation rather than an impersonation" of Churchill.
The acclaimed actor told the BBC: "I read as much Churchill material and watched as much footage as I could. But at the end it’s a creation rather than an impersonation.
"You almost start with an impersonation and then move away from it – you have to own it."
Meanwhile, Oldman previously admitted he initially thought that the prospect of him playing the iconic Brit was "a bit ridiculous".
Recalling being cast in the movie, Oldman said: "(When I got the role) I thought it was a bit ridiculous. It was never on my bucket list, it would never have occurred to me.
"I am coming up to a milestone at nearly 60, so there was no way that I was going to gain 70 pounds to play him. It was the physical that was the hurdle, not necessarily whether I could psychologically play the character."
Gary Oldman feels like an ‘honorary member of Sir WInston Churchill’s family’
