Summary
- Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula was a serious and devoted performance, with Oldman even sleeping in a coffin to prepare for the role.
- Winona Ryder, Oldman’s co-star in the film, describes his version of Dracula as mysterious, sexy, and dangerous, but also emotional and intense.
- Oldman kept a book of photographs of his young son on set to access his emotions for the role, showing his dedication to his craft as an actor.
He crossed oceans of time to reunite with his true love. Gary Oldman is arguably the quintessential Dracula of the last three decades. As Bela Lugosi laid claim to the title of the Carpathian Count for Universal Pictures, and just as Sir Christopher Lee took up the mantle for Hammer Film Productions, Oldman took a bite out of the late 20th and early 21st centuries thanks to his performance in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). And now, Oldman’s Vlad the Impaler returns in this breathtaking new fan art (below):
Oldman is known for his devoted approach to the performing arts as a method actor. According to his Bram Stoker’s Dracula co-star, Cary Elwes, Oldman was alienated from the rest of the cast during the production — that’s how serious he approached the part. Oldman even slept in a coffin night after night to prepare for the role of the blood-sucking prince. Oldman said in an interview conducted for The Making of Bram Stoker’s Dracula documentary:
I tried to play him as rather like Raphael… like a fallen angel. He’s torn, it’s a tortured soul. I don’t play him out now as an evil kind of character. I mean, there’s all that in there, too. It’s a delicious cocktail.
Gary Oldman is Dracula Again in Fan Art
Over 30 years ago, Gary Oldman portrayed one of the, if not the most recognizable, best-known horror characters of all time. During his preparation for the part, and in a most light-hearted but serious manner, Oldman famously sang Leonard Bernstein’s classic arrangement Tonight from West Side Story (while in character as Vlad) — as a voice exercise to acclimate him to the part of Dracula.
Winona Ryder plays Dracula’s love interest, Mina Harker, in the film opposite Oldman. And she compared her co-star’s version of the Count to that of a “tragic” figure who is mysterious, yes, but Oldman still gives Vlad the necessary levels of sexiness and danger to make his character unpredictable. Vlad behaves one way with those who cross his path and in an entirely different manner with his soulmate. Ryder said in the same documentary:
“The Gary that I know, he’s a very emotional person. Maybe that comes across sometimes as being intense. But I see it more as just extremely emotional. And he has access to those emotions, so he can channel that into his work very easily.”
Oldman kept a small book on set, which was full of photographs of his young son. And whenever the actor was required to access his emotions, he could always leaf through the album and get inspiration from the pictures of his child. Celebrate Halloween this year by watching Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and witness Oldman in the iconic role.
