NEW YORK — Jackson Lamb is an Englishman who solves mysteries, but he is not your normal sophisticated, attractive character. One clue is that he frequently and noisily passes petrol.
Lamb, played by Gary Oldman, is the beating heart of Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses,” a critical darling that seemed to have acquired popularity in the United States just recently, now in its fourth season. After being ignored at the Emmys for two seasons, it now has nine nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.
“I think it’s been a slow burn,” adds Oldman, who received an Emmy nomination for Lamb. “More people are now approaching me and saying, ‘I like the show.'” I’ve become that guy on television, which I truly enjoy.”
Lamb is the comically rude head of a gang of despondent British spies known as the “Slow Horses” because they work at the humble Slough House, far from the sparkling center of power in London. They’ve jeopardized their careers in a variety of ways, including botching surveillance missions, developing gambling addictions, and leaving a top-secret file on a train.
Suddenly, After Several Seasons, Gary Oldman’s TV Series ‘Slow Horses’ Gets Some Emmy Love
Lamb’s hair is messy and oily. He wears a shabby, muddy raincoat, and his stocking feet are always up on his desk. He smokes excessively, drinks scotch on the job, is violently un-politically correct, and is frank to the point of rudeness. His voicemail reads: “This is Lamb.” If I did not respond, it is because I do not wish to speak with you.
He’s also extremely loyal to his squad and possesses the sharpest — but dirty — knife in the drawer. He can tell someone’s wage just by looking at their footprint and is at least three steps ahead of everyone else. He refuses to follow the rules, displaying a petulant middle finger to the establishment.
“If there’s a sign that says ‘No smoking,’ Lamb will smoke,” stated Oldman. “He’s only a bloody pig. We just enjoy watching. Perhaps we’d want to be so direct.”
Will Smith, the showrunner and executive producer, says we’re meeting Lamb late in his career after he’s run afoul of the hierarchy and been fired by others.
“He is a puzzle. He is an enigma because he is unlike anything you’ve seen. “I believe the character is intriguing on that level,” adds Smith. “You’re meeting him at the end of his arc — he’s burned out — and then you’re kind of unpacking what made him this way and given little glimpses of the man he was and can be when he when he has to be.”
Many of the series’ most delectable scenes occur when Lamb encounters his antagonist, the flawlessly coiffed Diana Taverner, played by Kristin Scott-Thomas, who is in many ways Lamb’s polar opposite: courteous, diplomatic, and aspiring to the top of MI5.
The series also features Jack Lowden, Jonathan Pryce, Christopher Chung, Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Ffion Edwards, Kadiff Kirwan, and Saskia Reeves. Mick Jagger, who co-wrote the theme song, is one of the novels’ most prominent fans.
“Slow Horses” is about underdogs, and the series should emerge from the cold to be recognized at the Emmys.
“It’s a good thing when the reviews come in and people appreciate it and, and it and it gets a nod,” Oldman asserts.” He’s excited to catch up with his co-stars on Sunday over a table “and have a laugh.”
“Slow Horses” is based on Mick Herron’s Slough House novels, and Oldman gives Herron enormous credit for inventing such a fun Lamb. “I just immediately responded to it,” the actor admits.
Critics have fallen under its spell, with the Los Angeles Times questioning the attention and accolades: “What took so bloody long?” According to Empire magazine, Oldman steals “every scene he’s in, either with acidic sardonics or acid indigestion.”
“Lamb is about as far away from the tuxedo-wearing, Savile Row-tailored James Bond as you can get and yet, he’s the best spy we’ve had on screen for years,” according to New Musical Express.
Suddenly, After Several Seasons, Gary Oldman’s TV Series ‘Slow Horses’ Gets Some Emmy Love
Smith is feeling the love, which is a lovely tailwind as the show’s actors wrap out season five.
“There are a lot of evangelical fans out there who have done an excellent job of attracting an audience. “It seems to have reached a critical mass,” he says.
Oldman has created several notable characters, including Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, Count Dracula, and Winston Churchill. “In terms of characters that I’ve played, he’s up there,” adds the actor.
This is not Oldman’s first spy role; he previously played John Le Carré’s far more refined George Smiley. “Some wit said I’d gone from George Smiley to George Smelly, which I which I wish I’d thought of,” according to him.
SOURCE | AP
