It’s been covered a million times already. So anyone who even has the faintest idea of who David Fincher, knows he’s a very detailed filmmaker, sometimes requiring more than 100 takes for a given scene in a film. But according to Gary Oldman, who served as Fincher’s star in the new Oscar-contending film, “Mank,” the actor is happy to do whatever the director asks of him because that’s just part of the “work for hire” aspect of his job.
Speaking to IndieWire, Oldman talked about Fincher’s “meticulous” directing style, which would lead to long days, dozens of takes for scenes, and eventually, the exact right moment in a film. And judging by Oldman’s description of the situation, he doesn’t sound like someone who was beaten down by the director’s extensive requests, but instead, Oldman just understands that this is what comes with the territory. And it will eventually pay off in a big way.
“As an actor, you are contracted,” Oldman said. “You are work for hire. You have a 12-hour working day, you come in, and if the director wants to shoot it 10 to 60 to 250 times, I’m there to serve to the character, the story, and the director, and until I clock off, if that’s what someone wants to do, I’m happy to be there.”
He added, “But [Fincher is] meticulous. He’s looking for perfection, and that means the performance might be great in particular, but you didn’t move your head far enough around and the key light didn’t hit you. He wants all the elements to work so he has it in a master, in a medium close-up, and he has it in close. There’s a freedom in trying different things. Once the performance is there for David and he gives a thumbs up, he then comes in and gives notes between takes, and he’s looking for all the elements working. ‘We’re going again because this or this was great, but we need that to work now.’ He’s looking at the whole thing.”
Gary Oldman is no stranger to working with massive filmmakers on Oscar-worthy features. This is an actor that has been nominated for two Best Actor Oscars and won one for his 2018 film, “Darkest Hour.” In addition, he’s worked with directors such as Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, Alfonso Cuarón, Robert Zemeckis, Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott, and many more. So, he understands how each director has their own unique style, especially when you’re working with titans of the industry.
“Mank” is available now on Netflix. And yes, you can likely expect Oldman to be a major player in the forthcoming Oscars discussion.