Why “Slow Horses” is Gary Oldman’s dream job

The third season of Apple TV+'s spy drama Slow Horses, based on Mick Herron's series of spy novels, reveals the smallest revelations about Jackson Lamb, the boss of Slough House, played by Gary Oldman.

“Another layer of the onion is peeled back,” says Oldman, whose Lamb doesn't mind that the world sees him as a sloppy, pompous insult-slinger leading a team of failed agents. Of course, he's more complex than that. “He also has a great moral compass, which is very strong, and loyalty is there too. Although he may be a taskmaster, he's very loyal to his team.”

The series received nine Emmy nominations, including a nomination for Oldman for lead actor in a drama.

Explain one of Jackson's superpowers: he is a human database when it comes to his MI5 rejections. What's that like?

That's the art of espionage. He knows where everyone lives. [He’s] has followed them. He knows what they are up to. That's what I love about Lamb's espionage. It's the clothes, that's all; you keep people guessing. In season 4 we have a new head of MI5 security. She thinks she has seen through him immediately and completely underestimates him. The idea behind the dirty [raincoat] and the smell of whisky and cigarettes is that he's playing chess. That's one of the great joys of playing him. That and the fact that he has no filter, that he's absolutely direct. The reason we enjoy it as an audience and I enjoy playing him is because we can't be like that in our lives. And on top of that, we present to you James Bond, but flawed, with dirty laundry and stale toast.

Would James Bond, like Lamb, simply assemble a burglar alarm system out of nails, a knife and a can of Pringles?

That's it: in moments like that, you see the years of experience. It would be easy to dismiss him. “He doesn't care. He drinks too much. Isn't very healthy. Smokes too much.” All those external things. I mean, he walks right through the door and goes straight to the sandwiches. “Oh, is that ham?” I love that. It's quirky. Then come the moments when he can choreograph that burglar alarm. I find that so 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 refer to John le Carré, and Lamb can say: “He has this poison thing, as if he were [Bond arch villain] Rosa f— Klebb.” That’s what I love about the show.

You said you would like to stay with Slow Horses for the rest of your career.

I'm a fan of long-form TV series. I love being in these different worlds with these different characters every week. Sometimes I watch enviously and think, 'Wouldn't it be great to be a recurring character who meets the same people, kind of like a theater company where you keep coming back and developing these stories and characters?' And then there's the writing, the cinematography, the acting, the set design! I mean, it's better than anything you'd see on the big screen.

After spending an excruciating amount of time in the makeup chair for the role of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, did you want to find a role like Jackson Lamb, where you can just put on dirty clothes and a stained coat and you're camera ready?

Here is the story: I said to [my producing partner] Doug Urbanski: “Here's my wish list: I don't want to use an accent or wear a wig. I don't want fake makeup. I don't want a lot of costume changes. Ideally it would be well written and in the world of espionage.” Then I said something like, “Now go find it.” A short while later, I'm on the plane with Doug and he's reading. I leaned over and said, “What are you looking at?” And he said, “A character who is about to become your best friend.” When it was presented to me, I thought, “I have, like, a costume? It's espionage and it's set in England? I don't have to do an accent?” I couldn't believe it. It met all the criteria. And on top of that, it was really good.

Season 5 has already ended. Are there any new theories about Jackson and his bloating and digestive problems?

In season 5 we have an absolute blast. [Laughs] The scene is about my gas. It's great. We had so much fun shooting it. He says, “It's just gas, the most natural thing in the world. I don't know why everyone is so upset.” But I think he's actually using it as a way to say, “Don't come near me.” Literally. He's just delicious like that.

Jackson always seems to be eating. Do you think he's a secret foodie?

He knows the places that are quick to get to because that's the work lunch thing, isn't it? He's always on the go. I think he just shovels everything in. But given the food he eats, I think it's probably the best quality of that particular type of food. He would know where to get a really, really good sausage roll.