Gary Oldman Says He Broke Down Physically When Ex-Wife Accused Him of Abuse

Gary Oldman is trying to recover his physical health for the Oscars on Sunday, as the actor reportedly broke down and got sick after his ex-wife accused him of domestic abuse.

While speaking to reporters from Mirror about his nomination for Best Actor in Darkest Hour, Oldman admitted that he had his own low point quite recently. After months of non-stop work and personal issues, the acotr’s health began to suffer.

“I hit a wall two weeks ago and got the flu, and finally collapsed,” he said. The breakdown stems from his ex-wife, Donya Fiorentino, who accused Oldman of domestic abuse earlier this year. Fiorentino was married to Oldman for four years in the early 2000s, and told DailyMail in January that those years were a fearful time.

In the couple’s 2001 divorce filings, Fiorentino claimed, among other things, that Oldman beat her with a phone while she was holding their infant son. She also accused him of blowing thousands of dollars on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes during long benders of self destruction.

Oldman denied these claims, calling his wife a “fantasist” and saying instead that it was her addictions to pills and alcohol that ended their marriage.

Ultimately, Oldman won the case, and got custody of their two children. He went on to reach new heights of stardom in the Harry Potter and Dark Knight franchises, while Fiorentino lives a quiet life in Florida.

However, she has reopened the old wounds, and in the context of the Me Too movement and the Time’s Up campaign, it reflects poorly on Oldman. The lauded actor was married twice before Fiorentino and twice after. He plans to take a belated honeymoon with his current wife after the Oscars this year.

While Oldman has generally been favored as the most likely to win the Best Actor category, the newly publicized story of his third marriage may give pause to Academy voters, who are focused on the shifting social climate of the entertainment industry. To Oldman, the role itself is already an honor.

“This is a moment in the sun,” he told Mirror. “There are highs and lows in the career.”

He said that he’d be happy to take home the award, as it would reflect positively on the work itself.

“I’m feeling very good about it. To be recognised for playing Winston is a prize in itself. If they call my name I’ll have a few words and I’ll go home with an Oscar.”

He also gave a lot of credit to his current wife, Gisele Schimdt, who has stuck by him and reportedly workshopped his performance as Winston Churchill.

“It has been a rollercoaster few months for us, and to have her by my side has been wonderful. After the age of 50, it just got better. I met the love of my life Gisele, my wife, and I have the role of a lifetime. She has been so incredibly supportive during this whole process. Gisele really was a key collaborator in this whole process for me, and vital in me finding Churchill’s voice,” he said.

Oldman told the outlet he was glad to portray a different side of Churchill.

“We think of him as an old man – who was born in a bad mood. It wasn’t an immediate yes. Because he’s been played so successfully, you wonder what you can add.”

As for the notoriety — both good and bad — Oldman said he is adjusting.

“This has all taken some getting used to. I’m quite a private person. I’ve never been any good with crowds. It’s all very nice. No complaints. But there’s an energy of people coming at you that you absorb. It’s quite frenetic. The night of the Golden Globes, I must have taken 300 selfies and it felt like I had met 1,000 people. And they’re all lovely and gracious and well-meaning,” he said.

“It’s shocking when you think about it that that many people wanted to meet me in the first place. One should never take for granted the sound of applause,” he continued.

The 59-year-old actor confessed that he’s nearly ready to rest on his laurels as he approaches old age.

“I am nearly 60. What can I say, the eyes are starting to go, the knees are a little dodgy – I make those old man sounds when I get up out of chairs. The great thing about being 60 is the things I have experienced and being able to say I was there when it happened. I was there the first time around,” he said.