Gary Oldman continues to apologize for defending the controversial remarks he made in Playboy magazine, where he defended Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin’s past headline-making outbursts.
“I said some things that were poorly considered, and once I had seen it in print, I could see that it was offensive, insensitive, pernicious and ill-informed,” an emotional Oldman said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday. “Words have meaning. They carry weight and they carry on long after you’ve said them, and I don’t condone or excuse the words I used in any context. I just basically shouldn’t have used them in any context, but I did, and I have deeply injured and wounded a great many people.”
The actor went on to thank his fans for their support over the years.
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“I appreciate you having me here and extending your hospitality to put me in this seat once again, and it gives me the opportunity to say to those people that I, from my heart, I am profoundly, profoundly sorry and deeply apologetic – especially to the fans, because they have been so incredible to me and very loyal,” the “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” star continued “My nickname is, they’re Team Oldman, and I really feel that I let them down, especially to the younger fans. I’m a public figure. I should be an example and an inspiration, and I’m an a-hole. I’m 56 and should know better. To them I also say, I extend my apology and my love and best wishes to my fan base.”
Jimmy added a moment of levity to the interview, telling the actor, “Generally I’d say defending Mel Gibson is not a good thing to do in any way. I think I understand what you were trying to get at, though. You were talking about people being hypocrites. People love to jump up on their soapboxes and take shots at people for saying something, when you know a lot of those people—not all of them, certainly—are [also saying similar things].”
Gary told Jimmy that it’s probably best if he sticks to talking about his movies.
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“We’re public figures. I think sometimes we’re looked upon – we’re asked to be – social or cultural or political commentators, and I can’t speak for other people, but I’m not. Clearly!” he continued. “And I stepped out of my area of expertise and I just landed both feet in a hornet’s nest.”
— Jesse Spero
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