Quantcast
loading...

May 24, 2012

Ask Your Questions

Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard

  1. Register

Join Our Mailing list

Submit

Videos

User-Generated Interviews

Gary Oldman On 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

12/05/2011

Share:

He's the legendary actor who stars with Colin Firth in the film version of the John le Carré novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Gary Oldman takes questions exclusive from users of Uinterview.com here.

For more on Gary Oldman:

Gary Oldman In Paul Smith

Oscar Nominations 2012: George Clooney, 'The Artist' Honored

New 'Dark Knight Rises' Trailer Swoops Into Theaters

Q: Hi Gary, this is Ashley from Honolulu. Do you think you would be able to relate yourself to George Smiley? - User
A: Well, I'm quite good, I'm quite happy in my own company. I can go to my hidey-hole and shut the world off, you know. It sounds lonely, but I'm quite happy sort of being alone sometimes. I mean, you know, when I'm not around the kids. When I'm working, when I'm traveling, and that's a quality that Smiley has. They all have to have that, you know. John le Carré talked about, not only the level of paranoia of being a spy, because he was one, but the bored ... the remoteness of it. And also, you're away with another identity, so you would always be fearful that your cover would be blown, you would hear the footsteps on the stairs. And there's things that have happened, there's things that I can personally relate with Smiley, of emotions and sensations. You know, you draw on really what you can, you use a bit of your own life, and a bit of the book, and I met with John le Carré, and you use a little of him. You piece it together like a jigsaw, actually it's like a Rubik’s cube, you want to get all the sides lined up, but we were fortunate because we had this great piece of literature to work from.
Q: I was wondering if you'd actually seen the 1979 adaptation of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, starring Alec Guinness? - Tamber King
A: I'm old enough to remember it, and I saw it when it first came out, so I have seen it. But I didn't revisit it, and I haven't watched it recently. I probably think I remember it better than I do, but it was quite something in its day, when it came out. It was the real beginning of long-form TV, the BBC, they did ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,’ ‘I Claudius’ and ‘Brideshead Revisited.’
Q: And if you had, if it actually influenced any aspect of your performance. If not, did you decide to take your approach from another angle, and if so, what influenced you? - Tamber King
A: Based on, I mean the TV series was virtually the book, the entire book, because I think it was seven hours. I had the material and I had access to the writer, John le Carré, so in terms of putting together a character, I mean I had everything I needed, but the book was the holy grail.

Read more: John LeCarre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Colin Firth, Uinterview, Celebrity Video Interview

Comments

There are no comments.

To comment on this article login or register.

Post