Gary Oldman Gets Oscar Buzz For Winston Churchill Transformation In ‘Darkest Hour’

Las Vegas - Gary Oldman caused a stir for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” at CinemaCon 2017.

The Academy Award-nominated actor garnered Oscar buzz from Focus Features presentation host Shaun Robinson during Wednesday’s event at Caesars Palace. After praising Oldman’s role playing the former Prime Minister in the biographical drama and calling it Oscar-worthy, a trailer was released, and in it, Oldman was barely recognizable.

“Winston was a hard one,” Oldman said of getting into character, whom he calls the “greatest Britain that ever lived.” The role required him to spend 200 hours in the makeup chair during the 48-day shoot and carry around half of his body weight by the end of the film, but he said it was all worth it.

“It was daunting but once I started to find out who the man was I never enjoyed anything as much,” he dished. “I couldn’t wait to get to work.”

“Darkest Hour” takes place over the course of five weeks during the 1940s, starting with the first day Winston became Prime Minister. The movie debuts in theaters on Nov. 24.