Oscars 2018: Gary Oldman Faces Backlash After Oscar Win for Best Actor

Gary Oldman won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Winston Churchill in Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour. As expected, viewers at home criticized the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for honoring the actor, who was accused of domestic abuse by his third wife, Donya Fiorentino.

When Oldman began winning awards for Darkest Hour, the allegations surfaced again. Oldman and Fiorentino were married from 1997 to 2001, and their divorce sparked a lengthy court battle. She accused him of beating her up with a phone while she held their younger son. She also accused him of spending money on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes. Oldman denied the claims and, in the end, received sole legal custody of their sons, Gulliver and Charlie.

The 50-year-old Fiorentino spoke out about her marriage to Oldman in an interview with The Daily Mail. She described their marriage as a “nightmare.”

“He stole my children and ruined my life,” Fiorentino told the Mail. “The truth needs to be told. I would like Gary to stand up and take responsibility for his actions. Will he? Who knows? He has always denied everything.”

She said she was inspired to speak out because of the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up initiatives, which were highlighted during the Oscars ceremony.

“Our marriage was a giant car crash in which demented things happened. I lost my self-esteem, I was broken,” Fiorentino, who now lives in Florida, said. “I’ve been empowered by hearing other women speak up. When a woman gets her voice back, she gets her power back.”

Oldman told the Mirror he suffered a breakdown the past couple of weeks, following Fiorentino’s interview with the Daily Mail. “I hit a wall two weeks ago and got the flu, and finally collapsed,” the actor said.

The 59-year-old Oldman has been acting in movies since the early 1980s, but this is only his second Oscar nomination. He was previously nominated for Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy (2011). He also played Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films and Commissioner James Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy.

He is now married to his fifth wife, Gisele Schmidt. He was also married to Phantom Thread star Lesley Manville, Uma Thurman and Alexandra Edenborough.