The Emmynominated actor looks back on the wild writing, emails about farting, and the season 4 premiere. Slow Horses star Gary Oldman on knowing River wasn't de

The Emmy-nominated actor looks back on the wild writing, emails about farting, and the season 4 premiere.

Slow Horses star Gary Oldman on knowing River wasn't dead and sending emails about flatulence

The Emmy-nominated actor looks back on the wild writing, emails about farting, and the season 4 premiere.

By Alamin Yohannes

Published on August 19, 2025 06:48PM EDT

Leave a Comment

Ruth Bradley and Gary Oldman on 'Slow Horses' season 4, episode 1. Credit:

- Gary Oldman dives into the scene where his character, Jackson Lamb, has to identify River Cartwright's body.

- Oldman warns about a fart that's coming in season 5.

- The *Slow Horses* star also dives into his 'deeply dysfunctional' on-screen family.

"This is him deflecting," *Slow Horses* star Gary Oldman tells * *as he watches back a scene from the season 4 premiere. "Lamb almost immediately knows that it isn't River."

Oldman is talking about River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) faking his death and Lamb showing up at a crime scene to identify his body. Since 2022, Oldman has starred as head of the MI5 unit Slough House, Jackson Lamb, on the Apple TV+ series based on Mick Herron's book series, a role that has resulted in two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama.

Season 4 of *Slow Horses*, based on the book *Spook Street*, centers on a bombing and sees River faking his death after an attack while he's with his grandfather. The premiere involves Emma Flyte (Ruth Bradley) calling Lamb to a crime scene so he can identify what is presumed to be River's body.

"He realizes here that he's got an agent out in the field," Oldman says, pointing to an iPad playing the scene. "He's working out what the hell is going on, but he knows that he's got a rogue agent out there."

While the apparent death of a team member is tragic, Lamb meets the moment with his trademark crude and callous humor. When asked if he can identify Cartwright, he says, "He used to have a face," and when asked about distinguishable marks on the body, Lamb says, "I make them wear clothes in the office." Oldman laughs, noting that his character's wild lines are "enormous fun."

Lamb and Flyte share a sharp exchange that made Oldman laugh out loud when he first read it. He balks at her calling his team "rejects," but when she asks what he calls them, he responds, "rejects." "It's great fun to come in and play with that language," he says.

Gary Oldman on 'Slow Horses' season 4, episode 1.

Having studied the source material, Oldman pinpoints one line from *Spook Street* he wanted put into the script. "Not all the wonderful lines in the book find their way into the script," he explains. While walking up the stairs at the crime scene, Lamb passes someone collecting evidence and says, "Look, you missed a bit."

"You don't see it in these shows. There are all the people doing all the forensic stuff, and they normally come in and say what they got. I love that little moment in the book," he explains.

On the surface, people may view Lamb's remarks negatively, but Oldman sees Lamb as "a father figure of a deeply dysfunctional family."

"He comes from a generation where you ruled with an iron rod. You didn't praise your kids or tell them they were brilliant and could be anything they wanted — you kept them grounded," he explains. "But the thing is, he'd take a bullet for them. He's incredibly loyal. As outrageous as he can be, and as poorly as he handles social norms, he has a very strong moral compass."

Gary Oldman talks playing a brilliant — and flatulent — spymaster on 'Slow Horses'

Gary Oldman 'put a stop' to being typecast as the 'poster boy for rent-a-villain'

During the second half of the scene, Lamb goes for another of his signature moves: farting. For a character as unfiltered in body as in speech, it's fitting. "I never imagined I'd be emailing or calling the director saying things like, 'I watched the assembly cut, and I think the fart should be more robust,'" Oldman says, laughing. "It's on leather — can we make it sound more muffled, like a leather-muffled fart?"

He adds, "It sounds ridiculous, but those are the kinds of surreal, detailed notes you end up giving. I never thought I'd be writing such precise feedback about flatulence."

***Check out more from EW's *The Awardist*, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV, movies, and more.***

Oldman does give one warning (or tease) for season 5, and yes, it is fart-related. "There's a particular scene involving a release of gas that affects everyone in the room. It takes place during a gathering — everyone is in one position, and then suddenly they all have to move. The whole cast is involved in the scene, and it takes place at the school. There's a moment where I make a physical gesture, and then, in post-production, they later add in the sound effect," he teases.

Jack Lowden on 'Slow Horses' season 4, episode 2.

Before we get to the next adventure for those at Slough House, Oldman looks back on his season 4 finale scene with Lowden. After Lamb's team somehow saves the day and River can return to the land of the living, the pair meet at a bar for a silent drink together.

"He sees potential in River," Oldman says. "That's why he puts up with him. He insults him, gives him a hard time, rides him constantly — but only because he believes River needs to be tougher if he's going to survive in the world of espionage."

That silent drink is a gesture of connection. What Oldman calls "Lamb's version of a hug."

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL TV"

Read More

---

Source: VOGUE MAG

Full Article on Source: VOGUE MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities