Gary Oldman, and some politics are really local

I  mentioned earlier in the week that I’d be interviewing actor Gary Oldman for Fresh Air. The time has arrived, and I have to say he was a delightful guy to hang out with. Even if you don’t know Oldman’s name, there’s no doubt you’ve seen his work. And even if you know his name and work, I bet you’ve seen him in movies and didn’t recognize him.

He has a remarkable ability to transform his voice and inhabit a wild array of characters, some of the most memorable of them villains. He was great in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Professional, The Fifth Element, Air Force One, and one of my favorites, the pimp in the movie True Romance.

Oldman may finally get the recognition he deserves in the form of an Oscar nomination for playing George Smiley in the spy drama, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

You can hear my inteview with Gary Oldman on Thursday’s show at 7 p.m. on WHYY. And of course you can listen, download, or hear more at the Fresh Air website.

And while I’ve been busy with Fresh Air, I have to call attention to Bob Warner’s piece in the Inquirer about Philadelphia Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob  Brady’s new district, which excludes just two voting divisions in the 62nd ward in Northeast Philadelphia.

One of them includes the home of State Rep. Tony Payton, a Brady critic who – who knows? – might decide he wants to run for Congress some day. A spokesman for Brady told Warner the Congressman had nothing to do with it, and doesn’t even have Tony Payton on his radar. Read Warner’s piece here.