A flatulent MI5 agent walks into a bar ... and it’s Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’
When British author Mick Herron’s “Slough House” books were in the early stages of being developed into an episodic espionage drama, only two books in the gripping, darkly comic series had been written. Since then, Herron has churned out six more compulsively readable, tightly plotted volumes, and “Slow Horses,” the Apple TV+ show, is such a hit after two seasons that the streamer has green-lighted two more.
Oscar winner Gary Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, a sharp-tongued veteran spy and the supervisor of Slough House, where intelligence officers who have fallen out of favor are sloughed aside. By his side is secretary and recovering alcoholic Catherine Standish, played by Saskia Reeves. Recently, Oldman and Reeves could be found on Zoom talking about Jackson’s withering one-liners, Catherine’s tidying-up tendencies and a possible backstory not suggested on the series.
Gary, all the lacerating insults toward the other actors’ characters — is it as enjoyable to play as it looks?
Oldman: It’s just a lot of fun. I’ll go through the script and I’ll have a real corker of a line, and I always think, “Oh, that’s such a great moment. I can’t wait to see the expression on their faces when I give them the zinger.” For an actor who’s been doing it over 40 years, is 65 and has played every damn thing and every emotion you could possibly imagine, it’s a real compliment to [everyone] that I want to get out of bed and be with the most glorious, adorable bunch of people that anyone could ever have to work with.
The actor relished the long build of a repeating character. He found it in the spy series “Slow Horses.”
Saskia, explain Catherine’s central importance to Slough House.
Reeves: Other than it’s great to have a woman of a certain age in such a contemporary piece, [Catherine and Jackson] both represent the analog version of life before computers and internet. She knows about that world as much as he does. Also she did have a lot of respect for Jackson because her boss, who she put on such a high pedestal, thought Jackson Lamb was the business. But Jackson Lamb challenges that picture again and again and again. At the beginning, [Gary and I] imagined — can I say, Gary?
Oldman: Sure!
Reeves: We imagined they got highly drunk years ago and maybe had a quick knee trembler around the back of the pub and then she probably blankly forgot. They talk like an old married couple sometimes. They’ve shared lots and know lots of the same people who’ve died or behaved terribly or killed people. Even though Catherine isn’t a spy, she’s worked for the head of MI5. As she’s said, “I’ve been party to a lot of ops.” But, as with all the Slow Horses, she has a muddied past and very little self-confidence. But as the series goes on, and her sobriety holds, I think she realizes that she has more to offer.
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Why then does Jackson keep offering alcoholic drinks to Catherine?
Reeves: I’ve always imagined Jackson was saying to Catherine quietly, “Are you able to hold on because I want you in this job and you can’t stay if you fall off the wagon again.” I interpreted it as a constant challenge of “Can you do the job?”
Oldman: Not that he’d ever openly admit it, but there’s an admiration there, an admiration for people who can stop. Often big, heavy drinkers know they have a problem, but they have to drink. Jackson is one of those people. I’m 26 years sober and in my experience the only people that ever teased me were alcoholics themselves. I think there’s an element of that with Jackson and Catherine. He knows how tough it is.
He’s also brilliant, just several steps ahead of everyone else.
Oldman: Despite his appearance, and that we think he’s loafing off, sitting there with his feet on the desk, he was incredibly good at his job at one time. And still very much is. So even though he gives the impression that he doesn’t care, I have the feeling he probably cares more than most. Not that he’d ever show it.
Gary, let’s go behind the scenes: Is Jackson Lamb’s disinterest in personal hygiene expressed in fewer costume changes?
Oldman: He’s pretty filthy, smelly. There’re several references to my body odor in [the season] we’re currently shooting. I’ve two costume changes: my filthy summer Columbo [trench coat] with cigarette burns and my winter coat, a horrible thing. I’ve the same shoes, same socks, same suit. A variety of rather dull-looking shirts that I switch up once in a while. I have a horrible green tie. There’s no decisions. I just come in. There’s lots of grease in my hair and a pack of cigarettes. That’s it.
Saskia, why do TV critics always describe Catherine as Slough House’s “Mother Hen”?
Reeves: They say “Mother Hen” because she’s the oldest woman in the room, looks after everybody and is sort of annoyingly fussy. She’s a bit OCD. She has only got to do a little bit of espionage work since she’s been at Slough House. But she’s never been in this situation before, trying to find the number on the plates of a truck or being kidnapped. Even though she’s basically a secretary who’s trying to stay sober and having to put up with this smelly man, her life is pretty exciting.
There’s a debate among “Slow Horses” fans about Jackson’s public flatulence. Is it for comic relief? Or as a way to throw others off balance?
Oldman: It’s all of that.
Reeves: Sometimes he does it because it’s funny. Sometimes he does it because he wants people to shut up. Sometimes he does it because he wants to be rude and offensive. [laughs] And sometimes he does it because he needs to.
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