What does a true villain's gaze look like? The answer comes from the genre veteran himself — Gary Oldman. Learn and remember.
During a late-night appearance on The Colbert Show, host Stephen Colbert asked him just how quickly or easily he could slip into that villainous mode.
"Is it possible for you, right now, without saying a word, to visibly transform into an evil character?" asked Colbert.
Oldman burst out laughing, shaking his head. Colbert, grinning, immediately shot back, "Evil people don’t laugh." Then, with a mischievous smile, Oldman shared a little trick, straight from the legendary James Cagney:
"If you want to look tough — not necessarily evil, but tough — you start by lifting the head, then let the eyes follow. And the smile comes last..." Colbert, clearly impressed, couldn’t help but exclaim, "That’s nice!""
Oldman is one of the most versatile actors of his generation, seamlessly slipping between roles of pure evil and virtuous heroes. Whether it’s the cold, calculating villain in The Fifth Element or the heroic and steadfast Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy, Oldman’s range is unmatched.
As for the legendary actor, James Cagney, whom Gary Oldman cited in the show as an inspiration, was one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Cagney’s career spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s, and he became famous for his tough-guy roles, most notably as the gangster in The Public Enemy (1931) and the energetic, patriotic role in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).
