by Meg Malone
Batman may have the grandeur, but there is something to be said about the dedication and drive of Commissioner Jim Gordon when dealing with the problems that plague Gotham.
Gary Oldman will reprise his role as Gordon when director Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" hits theaters on July 20, and in a new interview with Empire, Oldman shared how he ended up playing Batman's police confidante, rather than an enemy.
"I thought it sounded fantastic. Then they came in with a villain. And I was at that point where you say, 'Oh. I can't do that anymore,'" he said. "I really felt I'd played all the notes that I could in terms of villains."
From there, Oldman explained that it was actually his suggestion that led him to the role of the stalwart Gotham cop.
"I had a think, and then I said to my manager, 'What about Jim Gordon?' And they proposed it to [Chris] and, to his credit, he cast me," he recalled. "He went, "'Oh that's an interesting idea.'"
Regarding Nolan as a director, Oldman emphasized the trust that Nolan has in his actors. He also touched on the performances of some of his co-stars, especially giving high praise for Michael Caine in an emotional scene ("I mean it was like watching a masterclass in acting," Oldman said). Later, when asked by Empire about the "gear shift" from "The Dark Knight" into this last chapter, Oldman turned to another (albeit quite different) film franchise to explain.
"You know those Fast And Furious movies where they drive at one speed, then they hit that button? And they put the octane or the gas into the engine and they seem to drive at hyperspeed? This is Chris hitting the button," he said. "This is the Fast And Furious version. It is a truly epic conclusion to the whole thing, and I don't mean that in a gratuitous way."
Which begs the question: what would a Christopher Nolan "Fast and Furious" movie look like? The mind boggles...
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