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a14 people & arts
Wednesday 9 december 2020
Gary Oldman on finding the frequency of 'Mank'

By JAKE COYLE "He's the kind of person,
AP Film Writer you have the conversa-
NEW YORK (AP) — The first tion once, and you literally
time Gary Oldman and watch his blue eyes click
David Fincher met was in in. It gets stored away, and
London 1990, when Fincher whatever that thing was
was looking to cast him in magically becomes part of
"Alien 3." the fabric of everything he
"And he had the sense to does afterward. It's osmo-
say no," Fincher recalls. sis," says Fincher. "He's a sort
In the 30 years since then, of behavioral vacuum. You
they have never been far give him data and then
out of orbit from one an- that data is processed and
other. They consider one comes out as behavior."
another friends. They share To match the black-and-
an ex-wife, the mother of white period atmosphere,
their children. But Fincher Fincher wanted a style of
cast Oldman's manager, acting with some of the
Douglas Urbanski (as Larry spirit of the '30s and '40s.
Summers in 'The Social Net- "Believable but ever so
work"), before he called slightly heightened — im-
up Oldman about another perceptible arch," says
role. Oldman. There's barely any
"There are some directors footage of Mankiewicz
who get stars in their eyes In this image released by Netflix, Gary Oldman portrays Herman Mankiewicz in a scene from talking so Oldman, figuring
and say, 'We must do some- "Mank." the apple wouldn't fall too
thing.' Mainly you never Associated Press far from the tree, relied on
hear from them again," recordings of Mankiewicz's
Oldman says, chuckling. tle-celebrated figure of Hol- I like to hide. And David involved there — the fear brother, the "All About Eve"
"David's the sort of director lywood history: a sharped- wanted no veil between of trying and failing. I've director Joseph Mankie-
that if you're right for some- tongued newspaperman me and the audience," known quite a few drunks wicz. Dance has previously
thing, he'll cast you. And if turned studio hack who says Oldman. "He said: who are like that. It's like suggested Oldman grew a
you're not, he won't." worked often without cred- 'I want you as naked as they have a critic on their little impatient with Fincher's
While some have quib- it (the black-and-white to you've ever been.' It wasn't shoulder." proclivity for a lot of takes.
bled that Oldman, 62, is Technicolor switch of "The that I resisted that. I was just It was in Alcoholics Anony- (Two scenes, each parties
a little old to play Herman Wizard of Oz" was his idea). a little uneasy with it at first." mous in 1996 that Oldman with sprawling conversa-
Mankiewicz — he wrote But despite a penchant for It's a role that Oldman met his third wife, Donya tion, took a week to shoot.)
"Citizen Kane" more than self-sabotage and liquor, isn't so terribly far from, in Fiorentino, a year after But Oldman says he rel-
a decade before drink- Mankiewicz — relying on some respects. He's well she and Fincher had di- ished the process — even
ing himself to death at the his own history with William acquainted with alcohol- vorced. After five years of if it did sometimes drag on.
age of 55 -- Oldman is so Randolph Heart (Charles ism. Oldman's brutally hon- marriage, Oldman and Fio- "You can imagine being on
tailored to the role that he Dance in the film) as a est autobiographical film rentino also divorced. Old- the set and doing a scene
wears it like the cocktail- kind of court jester to Hol- about his working-class man received full custody for 30 takes and then say-
soaked, day-old, rumpled lywood's most powerful — London upbringing, "Nil of their two sons, now in ing to someone, 'God,
suit Mank flops around in. turned in a draft for what's By Mouth," shot scenes their early 20s. (Fincher also we've done this scene a
Fincher's "Mank" is such a generally considered the in the very bar his hard- eventually gained full cus- hundred f---ing times.' Then
dense and dazzling Holly- greatest film of all time. drinking father used to fre- tody of his daughter with David with his cherubic
wood time machine that "It was never our intention quent. Oldman was himself Fiorentino.) In a court filing smile says, 'Yeah, and we're
all the conversation it's to rectify some wrong. It's once an alcoholic and, in 2001, Fiorentino alleged going to do it 101," says
spawned — on the author- just a character study of a like Mank, prone to auda- that Oldman hit her with Oldman. "Sometimes you
ship of "Citizen Kane," on man who was self-emulat- cious gambles. Back when a telephone, an allega- feel like the director hasn't
"auteur" directors, on its '30s ing and who did it in a rath- he was drinking, Oldman tion that Oldman strongly walked away from a scene
political backdrop — has er witty way," says Fincher, chose between two simul- denies. Police investigated he hasn't got. Sometimes
sometimes overlooked the whose father, Jack Finch- taneous offers — "Water- and the actor was never you feel like you're making
incredible balancing act er, wrote the script. "I've world" and "The Scarlet Let- charged. Their shared pain- the day, rather than mak-
at its center. It's a perfor- got nothing against Orson ter" — with a coin flip. (Rev. ful past, actor and director ing the movie. You would
mance always teetering on Welles. Orson Welles was Dimmesdale won.) say, went unspoken of dur- never feel that on a Fincher
the edge, poised between a genius and if everybody For Oldman, it meant draw- ing their collaboration. set."q
inebriation and lucidity, doesn't know that, I don't ing on "muscle memory." Instead, their work to-
'40s-style zip and modern- know what to say." "It's a long time ago now. gether was of mutual me- Solution Sudoku
day naturalism. In crafting the portrait of I've been sober almost 24 ticulousness. Fincher, long 12/09 Difficulty Level
"Mank, it's in the eyes. Mankiewicz, Fincher want- years. But you remember it, renowned for his obses- 4 9 6 8 5 7 3 1 2
It's like a different head," ed Oldman as himself. No and I certainly brought that sive exactitude, found in 5 1 8 3 2 9 6 7 4
says Oldman speaking by wigs, no special costume. to the party," says Oldman. Oldman a highly detailed 3 7 2 1 6 4 5 9 8
phone from London. "It's a For Oldman — who had "Mank said something that actor of deep research
different motor that's mov- recently buried under pros- struck me to my heart. He capable of subtly manipu- 2020 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc. 1 3 7 6 8 5 4 2 9
ing. It's what I call a char- thetics and make-up as said, 'My critical faculty has lating his performance. No 9 6 5 4 1 2 8 3 7
acter's running condition. Winston Churchill in "Dark- prospered at the expense director is able to have a 2 8 4 7 9 3 1 6 5
It's finding the frequency of est Hour," winning him the of my talent.' There's the whole movie in his head, 7 5 1 9 4 6 2 8 3
the man." best actor Oscar — that longing to write the great Fincher says, but Oldman 6 2 9 5 3 8 7 4 1
"Mank," which debuted Fri- made him nervous. play, to write the great can mentally maintain the 8 4 3 2 7 1 9 5 6
day on Netflix, is about a lit- "I am partial to a disguise. novel, and there's a fear whole arc of his character. Puzzle on Page 13