As Kazuhiro Tsuji, special make-up effects and visual artist transformed Gary Oldman in the likeness of wartime Winston Churchill, the actor became the character, adopting and adapting his moves to perfect his role and clinch the Oscar for one of his finest performance. It was, perhaps, the time, effort and ingenuity involved in crafting the transformation that infused Oldman with traits that marked Churchill’s life and career. But then, being a dedicated thinking actor, Oldman instinctively got under the skin of his role, thanks to the expertise of makeup artists who knew just how to perfect the look.
What makes the transformation so very dramatic is the obvious unlikeness between the former Prime Minister and the 59-year old Oldman. The stark difference lies in the shape of their faces – while Oldman’s is oval, Churchill’s was rounder. That meant creating an optical illusion by bringing the neck forward and the chin up, using prosthetics. The actor had to spend nearly 4 hours every day to transform and get ready for a gruelling 12-hour shoot. He had to wear a fat suit, which was designed with intricate lacing so as to gather the layers of blubber together
Speaking about the daily process, he had told an entertainment magazine: ‘On a normal day, my pick up would be 1.45 am. To get to the set, they would shave my head, cover my neck in glue and then start the makeup. We would go through that process for 3 hours and 15 minutes, then I would go and get dressed – another 45 minutes. Then set, rehearsal, shoot a 10-12 hour day, then 45 minutes to an hour to remove the make-up. And eventually, 18 hours later, get to bed.’
The Awards:
While critics have hailed it as one of the best performances of Gary Oldman’s career, awarding bodies have gone all out to recognise it with a bouquet of awards. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. The film itself earned six nominations at the Academy Awards and 9 nominations at the 71st British Academy Film Awards.
Gary Oldman is a versatile theatre, film and television personality, having earned distinction for his so-called ‘big’ acting style. He began his acting career in 1979 with a play and soon earned his first film role in 1983 with ‘Meantime’. His theatre career flourished with memorable performances in ‘The Massacre at Paris’, ‘Entertaining Mr. Sloane’, ‘Saved’, ‘The Country Wife’ and ‘Hamlet’ and he has played a variety of roles in films, but he is known for his roles as Sirius Black in the ‘Harry Potter’ series, James Gordon in ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’, ‘Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2’, George Smiley in ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ and human leader Dreyfus in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. As he notes, “I enjoy playing characters where the silence is loud.”