Now in its third season, Apple TV+’s spy drama “Slow Horses,” based on Mick Herron’s series of spy novels, doles out the tiniest of revelations about Jackson Lamb, the boss of Slough House, played by Gary Oldman.
“It peels back another layer of the onion,” says Oldman, whose Lamb doesn’t mind being seen by the world as a scruffy, flatulent insult-thrower leading a team of failed operatives. Of course, it’s more complex than that. “There’s also a great moral compass – it’s very strong – and there’s loyalty as well. Even though he may be a taskmaster, he’s very loyal to his team.”
The series received nine Emmy nominations, including a nomination for best lead actor in a drama for Oldman.
Explain to me one of Jackson's superpowers: he's a human data bank when it comes to his MI5 rejects. How does that work?
That's espionage. He knows where everyone lives. [He’s] He followed them. He knows what they're up to. That's what I think is so cool about Lamb's spying. It's the clothes, it's all that stuff; it keeps people guessing. In season 4, we have a new head of the security department at MI5. She thinks she's got his number straight away and completely underestimates him. The idea behind the dirty [raincoat] And the smell of whiskey and cigarettes is like playing chess. That's one of the great joys of playing him. That and the fact that he's unfiltered, he's totally direct. The reason we enjoy him as an audience, and I enjoy playing him, is because we can't be like that in our lives. And then you get James Bond, but with all his flaws, with dirty clothes and stale toast.
Would James Bond casually rig an intruder alarm, as Lamb does, with nails, a knife and a Pringles can?
That's the thing: in moments like that, you see the years of experience. It would be easy to brush it off. “He doesn't care much. He drinks too much. He's not very healthy. He smokes too much.” All that external stuff. I mean, he immediately walks in the door and goes straight to the sandwiches. “Oh, is this ham?” I love that. It's quirky. Then there are the moments where he can choreograph that burglar alarm. I think that's very unusual. I love that we live in a “Slow Horses” world where John le Carré and James Bond [are mentioned].David Cartwright [Jonathan Pryce] can reference John le Carré, and Lamb can say, “He's got this poisonous thing like… [Bond arch villain] Rosa f— Klebb”. I love that about the show.
You've said you'd be happy to do Slow Horses for the rest of your career.
“I'm a huge fan of long-running television shows. I love being in these different worlds, with these different characters every week,” says Gary Oldman.
(Apple TV+)
I'm a fan of long-form television. I love being in these different worlds, with these different characters every week. Sometimes I'd look back with envy and think, “Wouldn't it be great to be a recurring character that crosses paths with the same people, like a theater company, where you keep coming back and developing these stories and characters?” Not to mention the writing, the cinematography, the acting, the set design! I mean, it's better than anything you'll see on the big screen.
After spending an excruciating amount of time in the makeup chair for Darkest Hour to play Winston Churchill, did you set out to find a role like Jackson Lamb, where you just put on dirty clothes, a stained coat and you're camera-ready?
Here's the story: I told [my producing partner] Doug Urbanski, “Here’s my bucket list: I’d like no accent, no wig. I don’t want prosthetic makeup. I don’t want a ton of costume changes. Preferably well-written and set in the spy world.” So I said, “Now go get it.” A short while later, I was sitting on a plane with Doug, and he was reading. I leaned over and said, “What are you looking at?” And he said, “A character who’s about to become your best friend.” When they introduced him to me, I said, “Do I have, like, a costume? It’s spy and it’s in England? I don’t have to do an accent?” I couldn’t believe it. It ticked all the boxes. And on top of that, it was really good.
Season 5 is now over. Are there any theories regarding Jackson and his digestive issues?
In the fifth season, we have some absolutely revealing news. [Laughs] The scene is about my flatulence. It’s great. We had a lot of fun filming it. He says, “It’s just gas, the most natural thing in the world. I don’t know why everyone is so excited.” But I actually think he uses it as, “Don’t get too close to me.” Literally. It’s delightful that way.
It seems like Jackson is always eating. Do you think he's a secret gourmet?
He knows the places you can get to quickly, because it's that thing about working at lunchtime, isn't it? He's always in a hurry. I think he just eats by the shovelful. But considering the food he eats, I think it's probably the best quality of that particular type of food. He'd know where to get a really, really good sausage roll.
