Gary Oldman Gives His Anti-Semitism Apology on Kimmel: 'I'm an A-Hole'

“I said some things that were poorly considered. And once I had seen it in print, I could see that it was offensive,” he said to Kimmel. “I don’t condone or excuse the words I used…I shouldn’t have used them in any context.”

“I’m a public figure, I should be an example and an inspiration and I’m an a-hole,” Oldman said. “I’m 56 and I should know better.”

It’s eerily reminiscent of the situation with Jonah Hill, who was caught on camera using a homophobic slur against a photographer. His apology was also on a late-night talk show (an appearance which was also to promote a movie and was booked before the incident occurred). I guess this time I’m more skeptical of the authenticity of Oldman’s apology since this is the exact kind of thing he was mocking in his rant about political correctness. I can’t stop thinking I’m watching Gary Oldman the actor give an apology performance here. I believe that the real Oldman is the one who spoke candidly to Playboy—the one who didn’t think twice about his words or offer any apologies for his unfiltered thoughts.

This isn’t the worst apology we’ve ever seen. (It’s not a shitty “sorry if you were offended” non-apology apology.) But it feels extremely hollow, considering that just a short while ago he was singing a completely different tune. This wasn’t a case of a celebrity blurting out a dumb slur in a heated moment. This was a person opening up and letting down their guard to expose their true thoughts and beliefs. It’s hard for an apology to mend that.

It’s all so weird. First Hill. Now Oldman. Please GOD, don’t tell me the new trend for boosting publicity before a major film release is to get caught saying something homophobic/racist/sexist and then make a bunch of high-profile public apologies for it. Can we just go back to setting up fake romances with co-stars to generate hype? Please?