The Fifth Element, although sporting a goofy aesthetic with the humor to match, is a beloved sci-fi action film for many. For instance, Gary Oldman, who played the villain of the film, is a southern New York businessman named Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, who has a muppet-like creature as a pet that resides in his desk. Oldman has played a wide range of roles — from Sid Vicious to Dracula, to Drexl Spivey, to Winston Churchill. However, despite being an interesting creation of a character in an interesting film, Oldman can be quoted from a past interview in Playboy saying, “Oh no, I can’t bear it.”
Fast forward to today. Gary Oldman recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where host Josh Horowitz brought up The Fifth Element, stating how much audiences love the film. Oldman gave some heartwarming news of his new feelings toward the Bruce Willis/Milla Jovovich movie as he responded,
Well, let’s put it this way…if I was watching it with my wife, Gisele, we’d probably stick around. And she has convinced me that it’s a better film than I think it is.”sponsored content
Oldman added more context to his feelings on the film as he continued, “You know, all I take from that is I’m contaminated because I was the one who had that haircut, and I was the one who was wearing rubber. So, others can experience it in a sort of different way.” The Dark Knight actor joked, “I get a little triggered when I see it. And I go back to that place of Jean Paul Gaultier and rubber.” Then, he would drop the tidbit that Bruce Willis was equally frustrated in his wardrobe. “Which Bruce didn’t like either. You know the orange vest that he wears in it? [whispers] He haaaated it. He haaaaated it.”
In an interview with Far Out Magazine, Oldman admitted he did The Fifth Element as a favor to director Luc Besson. “I was directing a film, and Luc Besson was one of the producers and had initially helped me with raising financing,” Oldman explained. “I was singing for my supper. [Luc] called. He said, ‘I need you to do a movie.’ I didn’t read the script – it was a favor.” Oldman’s directorial effort was the film Nil By Mouth from 1997.
