Gary Oldman Names the Co-Star Who Left the Biggest Impression

Few actors in Hollywood have built a career as diverse and enduring as Gary Oldman. With a filmography that stretches from indie British dramas to blockbuster franchises, Oldman has worked alongside a remarkable range of talent. While many might recognize him from iconic roles in major films, his journey began with smaller, character-driven projects that showcased his depth and versatility.

Throughout his decades in the industry, Oldman has earned a reputation for being both reliable and generous on set. His willingness to take on a wide variety of roles has led to collaborations with actors from every generation. Despite this extensive list of co-stars, there’s one actor who stands out in Oldman’s memory as his all-time favorite to work with.

Oldman’s Unexpected Choice

In a candid moment, Oldman revealed that Kevin Bacon holds a special place among his collaborators.

“He was fun, and he knew his lines,”

Oldman said, summing up what made working with Bacon such a pleasure. Bacon’s own career is legendary for its breadth, so much so that the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” was inspired by his prolific output. Both actors launched their careers in the early 1980s and have remained active ever since, but they’ve only shared the screen twice—each time in a tense legal thriller.

Their first project together, Criminal Law, arrived at a pivotal moment for both. Bacon, already a household name thanks to his breakout role in Footloose, was eager to take on more challenging material. In this film, he played a troubled member of a wealthy family facing murder charges, while Oldman, still relatively new to American audiences, portrayed the hard-drinking defense attorney tasked with his case. Though critics were divided on the film itself, the dynamic between the two leads was undeniable.

Reuniting for a Powerful Drama

Oldman and Bacon crossed paths again in Murder in the First, a more acclaimed entry in the courtroom genre. Loosely inspired by real events, the film cast Bacon as a deeply sympathetic prisoner, with Christian Slater as his lawyer. Oldman took on the role of the ruthless Alcatraz warden, delivering a performance that left a lasting impression. While the movie didn’t become a box office sensation, Bacon’s portrayal earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the SAG Awards.

Despite his impressive body of work, Bacon has never received an Oscar nomination—a surprising fact given the critical acclaim he’s garnered over the years. Oldman himself waited many years before finally taking home the Academy Award, so there’s hope that Bacon’s moment in the spotlight is still to come.