Gary Oldman Almost Turned Down the Role of Winston Churchill!

Gary Oldman is joined by by wife Gisele Schmidt as they arrive at the Great British Film Reception on Friday night (March 2) at the Brtish Residence in Los Angeles.

The 59-year-old actor stopped by the event honoring the British nominees of the 2018 Oscars alongside Tom Payne, Jane Seymour, Edgar Wright, Andy Serkis, and Camilla Luddington.

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At the event, Gary revealed he almost didn’t take on his Oscar-nominated role of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour!

Gary shared with Page Six that he nearly turned down the role because Churchill had been played so many times before, but after learning more about the former Prime Minister, he decided to take the role.

“What interested me was to show a side of him that was dynamic and energetic and funny — he wasn’t the curmudgeon we all assumed he was,” Gary said. “You imagine him to be grumpy all the time, and I am sure he sometimes was, but other times he looked like a baby. There was this boyish sweetness to him.”

15+ pictures inside of the stars arriving at the event…