MovieChat Forums > Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2012) Discussion > Was Gary Oldman doing an Alex Guinness i...

Was Gary Oldman doing an Alex Guinness impression?

posted 9 years ago by montyburns56
8 replies | jump to latest

If you don't know Alec Guiness played Gary Oldman's character in the original BBC series that this is film is based on, but listening to the way that Oldman speaks in the film I got the impression that he was trying to copy Alec's voice. I find that a slightly bizarre thing to do as he is meant to be playing a character, not do an impression of another actor.

I know that Ewan McGregor did the same thing in the Star Wars prequels and I found it quite distracting in those films as well.

[–] nystulc 9 years ago

To an extent, yes. I believe so.

[–] Marmadukebagelhole 9 years ago

I didn't get that from Oldman's portrayal. Very similar hus voice may have been but it wasn't a distracting impression.

Perhaps he is a better actor than Mcgregor.

Glasgow's FOREMOST authority Italics = irony. Infer the opposite please.

[–] nystulc 9 years ago

I find that a slightly bizarre thing to do as he is meant to be playing a character, not do an impression of another actor.

True, but .... given the "evil Smiley" theme that the film goes for, in transforming the humble, mild-mannered, and generally-compassionate Smiley of the novel and BBC versions to the haughty, cold, sadistic, and proudly contemptuous character of this version ... without some effort at mimicry of voice and mannerism the character would not have been recognizable at all. On the one hand, they apparently wanted to "deconstruct" Smiley; but on the other hand, they still wanted him to be recognizable as Smiley. And Guinness's Smiley is the Smiley people recognize.

[–] GorchBrother 9 years ago

I haven't seen Guinness's Smiley except in short clips so I can't comment on him imitating.

I think Oldman and Guinness are both great and I've been anticipating more great work from Oldman as he reaches older age.

As for MacGregor, I agree about it being distracting. I think he should have left that out until near the end of Episode III. It's a bit all over the place.

"I don't need to believe it's real. I just need to believe it."

[–] PeppermintPatti 9 years ago

No. In interviews, Gary Oldman said that he met John Le Carre, and listened to him. He based Smiley on Le Carre. Not just how he spoke, but how he sat, etc. He also said he had seen the Alec Guinness mini series in 1979, when it first came out, but didn't re watch it. He didn't want to base his Smiley on Guinness.

It is entirely possible that Guinness also based his Smiley on Le Carre.

[–] ph75006 9 years ago

I read somewhere that Oldman had studied Alex Guinness' performance in the earlier adaptation and also visited Le Carré in his home and borrowed a lot of small behaviours from him. Maybe he tried to do his own interpretation of Smiley but no doubt, I saw a great deal of Guinness' Smiley in there too.

[–] HesterPrynne 9 years ago

Oldman had studied Alex Guinness' performance

That's not true. He saw the series decades ago but didn't want to revisit it to avoid copying.

visited Le Carré in his home and borrowed a lot of small behaviours from him

That is true. And as someone above pointed out, it's possible that Guinness also based his Smiley on Le Carré.

Gary Oldman Web http://twitter.com/GO4Everyone

[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

I find that a slightly bizarre thing to do as he is meant to be playing a character, not do an impression of another actor. I know that Ewan McGregor did the same thing in the Star Wars prequels ...

Probably had something to do with McGregor achieving consistency in playing the Obi-wan character at a younger age than the character Guiness had already established . Smart acting! As for Gary Oldman, he provides a fine, interpretation of the Smiley character.🐭