Gary Oldman on the one line he REALLY wanted to say in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Over the decades, many actors have taken on the role of Count Dracula, but Gary Oldman delivered one of the most memorable performances in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stepping into the shadow of legends like Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee was no easy task, but Oldman was eager to collaborate with director Francis Ford Coppola—especially after reading one particular line in the script that he couldn’t wait to say.

“I was about to read the script and audition for Francis,” Oldman told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “And the thing I remember most vividly was, ‘I’ve crossed oceans of time to find you.’ And I thought, ‘God, I’d really like to say that line.’” It is a great line, and as he always does, Oldman delivers it perfectly.

Oldman added that playing Dracula “had never even been on my radar to do it or even consider it or think about it. But it was Coppola and I thought that he would do something very interesting with it. And so I felt carried. I didn’t feel that, ‘Oh, I’m up against Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee.’ I felt safe. I felt carried by the master.“

While Bram Stoker’s Dracula earned mixed reviews when it debuted in 1992, particularly for the performance of Keanu Reeves, the film has grown significantly in stature and is now far more beloved, at least for some. For Oldman, it was all worth it to work with Coppola. “What I take away from it is having the opportunity to have worked with Coppola, who is arguably, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest, if not the greatest living American director,” Oldman said.

The next incarnation of Dracula will be released in France this summer from director Luc Besson. Starring Caleb Landry Jones, the new film “tells the story of Prince Vladimir in the 15th century, who curses God after the death of his beloved wife and is thus transformed into a vampire. Later, in 19th-century London, he discovers a woman who looks exactly like his lost love and seals his fate by pursuing her.” The recently released trailer did have fans comparing it to Coppola’s movie.

Do you have a favourite Dracula? For me, I’ve got to go with Christopher Lee.

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