Gary Oldman on Winston and watches

I did indeed! When I was offered the role, the first thought that popped into my head was “how can I portray this iconic figure of the twentieth century in a way that hasn’t been done before?” [laughs]. It was a huge challenge, and the only way to meet that challenge was to study his life. And what a life! Churchill was a complex man with multiple facets to his personality. It would take more than a lifetime to truly understand him. Not forgetting the fact that he told his story himself in dozens of books, not to mention the hundreds of biographies and documentaries about him.

Once I’d found how I was going to portray Churchill, how I would tackle the role, I immersed myself in the part like never before in my career. When I left the set to go home at the end of the day, he came with me. My wife would say, “I go to bed with Winston Churchill but I wake up with Gary Oldman!”. Which I suppose is better than the other way around! [laughs].

Finding the courage to get up every morning and go through four hours of make-up and prosthetic padding. I’ve been doing this job for almost forty years, but this time I really had to give everything I had for a full twelve hours of filming a day. I was in almost every scene. There were times when I felt like an engine pulling one, then two, then thirty wagons. It was exhausting! But I hung on in there because I truly believe this is the role of a lifetime. The thing I most feared was being contaminated by earlier portrayals. More than once, I found myself closing my eyes and imagining I was Churchill. So many books and films show him as a grumpy old man in a permanent bad mood, a curmudgeon. And of course we always picture him with a cigar and a glass of whisky in his hand. Obviously this is all part of the character, but Winston Churchill can’t be reduced to just that. I came across some old newsreels that show a man who is full of life and energy. You can feel how delighted he is to be steering Britain’s fortunes, the pleasure he took from it. It was amazing to see him marching ahead of everyone, leading the way. And that look of his! He would look straight ahead. You could feel he had set himself an objective, that he was a man on a mission and nothing or no-one would get in his way. He had a round, almost cherubic face and a twinkle in his eye. Not forgetting his smile. I see joy in that smile. This is the Churchill that screenwriter Anthony McCarten wanted to show. A 65-year-old man in his prime who had no intention of giving in to tyranny.

That’s right. I read that he was a lifelong customer of Breguet. [One of Sir Winston’s watches was a Breguet N°765, a minute-repeater split-seconds chronograph which the Duke of Marlborough bought in 1890]. Actually it’s funny that you should ask about his love of watches. When you’re playing a character such as this, as you can imagine there is a lot of research involved. I learned, for example, that in 1946 a Swiss watchmaker gave Churchill, as well as Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Charles de Gaulle, an exceptional watch.

Exactly. If I remember correctly, it was made by Louis Cottier in collaboration with Agassiz & Co.

I’m not surprised. The Swiss have a talent for creating watches of rare beauty and quality. Of course they can only gain in value, like a work of art. In fact these watches are works of art! What fascinates me about a watch is that not only does it embody time, it actually plays with the notion by means of different designs, dials, hands, straps or materials. Of course, the objective is always the same: to be on time, whether it’s for tea or to catch a flight! [laughs].

I stick it to my ear so I can hear its “heart” beating. You must admit there is something magical going on inside the case. You wonder how is it possible to fit all those wheels, all those tiny components into such a small space. Perhaps that’s why we are so in awe of Swiss watchmakers. For those of us who don’t have the watchmaker’s meticulousness, who aren’t gifted with our hands, the work these masters of time accomplish is a complete mystery! I don’t know a single person on earth who isn’t fascinated by these precision mechanisms.

It depends on my mood, I suppose. I’m not the type to wake up one morning and say “Hmmm, I think I’ll buy a watch!” Of course, you never buy a watch. It adopts you. There you are, walking along minding your own business when, who knows why, you stop to look in a shop window. And there in that window, who knows why, a watch catches your eye and roots you to the spot. Possibly the only thing that can bring you back to reality is when they tell you the price! [laughs].

I’ve worn all kinds of watch at one point or another. From the most ostentatious to the most outlandish to some really cheap models. Now I’m getting to an age where you appreciate more classical values. I look for a design that won’t go out of style. I’ve actually noticed that watches with the most simple, flowing lines tend to contain ultra-complex mechanisms. Like certain cars. You can’t always guess what’s under the bonnet. One thing is for sure: I never buy a watch as an investment, only for pleasure.