No one expected this. When audiences first met Jackson Lamb, played by acclaimed actor Gary Oldman, in the Apple TV+ television series Slow horsesThe camera slowly pans over the debris strewn across the man’s desk, to find the man waking up with a surprise burst of flatulence while sleeping on the couch in his office.
It’s an unceremonious introduction, to say the least, and yet Jackson Lamb has now become one of the most rewarding roles of Gary Oldman’s celebrated career. In other ways, it’s an introduction that’s entirely fitting. Jackson Lamb is not your typical spy hero; he’s an unlikely protagonist who’s more than willing to berate, belittle, and offend anyone around him, especially his colleagues. Slow horses back for its fourth season, we explore how Gary Oldman’s Emmy-nominated role as Jackson Lamb turned into a career renaissance.
What is Slow Horses about?
A realistic and raw version of the English MI5
Based on a series of spy novels written by Mick Herron, Slow horses premiered in 2022 and follows a band of MI5 misfits who have made so many mistakes in the field that they’ve been relegated to Slough House, an office for misfit spies under the leadership of Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman.
All those under Lamb’s watch were referred to as “slow horses,” a play on the office’s name, Slough House. Since these spies could not be trusted with England’s most critical missions, they were instead relegated to paperwork and constant reprimands from Lamb, who he hoped would drive them to resign out of frustration or boredom.Of course, this being a spy series, one way or another the fate of Britain always ends up resting on the shoulders of the slow horse.
After its debut on Apple TV+, Slow horses has become one of the streaming service’s top-performing series in terms of audience satisfaction and critical acclaim. According to running totals provided by Rotten Tomatoes, the series has never dropped below 90% in either critic or audience scores in its three seasons so far, and based on early reviews for Season 4, that doesn’t look set to change anytime soon.
|
Season |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
1 |
95% |
92% |
|
2 |
100% |
94% |
|
3 |
98% |
95% |
|
4 |
100% |
N / A |
It cannot be overemphasized that all the talented actors contribute to Slow horse Success. The show’s incredible cast includes Jack Lowden, Rosalind Eleazar, Kristen Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, and Christopher Chung, to name a few. As memorable as they all were, none left as strong an impression as Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Jackson Lamb.
How did Gary Oldman become the star of Slow Horses?
Honestly, he needed a break
After starring in nearly three films a year between 2017 and 2019, actor Gary Oldman was looking for something a little more laid-back and easy to digest to continue building his incredible legacy as he approached his fifth decade as a professional actor. Following his Oscar-winning performance as Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hourwhich involved hours of prosthetics, Oldman looked for a role that would allow him to look like himself. Discussing what drew him to the role of Jackson Lamb, Oldman told Variety,
“Here’s the story: I said to [my producing partner] Doug Urbanski: “Here’s my bucket list: I don’t want to use an accent or wear a wig. I don’t want prosthetic makeup. I don’t want to have multiple costume changes. Preferably, the movie should be well-written and set in the world of espionage.”
Soon after, Gary Oldman’s producing partner discovered the pilot script for Slow horses and gave it to Oldman to read. When he learned that he would only have to wear one costume and not have to use an accent in a spy story set in England, he was already sold. Better yet, Oldman was struck by the quality of the script and signed on immediately.
What makes Gary Oldman’s performance as Jackson Lamb so special?
He’s a grouch with a heart of gold (sort of)
The best part of Gary Oldman’s performance as Jackson Lamb in Slow horses That’s how annoying he makes the man. Lamb constantly alternates between being as quick as a nail, able to spot the slightest clue, and being downright annoying to his team of spies. Those who work under Lamb gradually realize that while one may want to ignore everything the man says, he frequently drops pearls of wisdom, provided one is mentally strong enough to differentiate these revelations from his constant reprimands.
It’s a delicate balancing act, to say the least, with Jackson Lamb alternating between the role of a violent jerk and one of England’s most resourceful espionage agents.. The authors of Slow horse The producers are well aware of the need to balance Lamb’s behavior accordingly. When he frequently tests his co-workers, such as offering a drink to Standish, a woman who spent years recovering from an alcohol addiction, it’s Lamb’s way of checking to see if she’s still on the straight and narrow, according to showrunner Will Smith (who is decidedly not the Will you’re thinking of).
In other words, every joke, snide comment, or derogatory accusation Jackson Lamb throws at his subordinates is there to push buttons, gauge reactions, throw people off track, and generally let everyone know that Jackson Lamb is the smartest man in the room (at least, in his own mind).
Today, popular culture is obsessed with heroes. Not just any heroes, but ones who seem like good people. Gone are the days of the morally complex protagonists of the 1970s, 1980s, and even 1990s. Jackson Lamb is a throwback to that era. Far from being a shining paragon of virtue, the man is a pernicious jerk who has been so wounded by the betrayals of his past that he refuses to form new meaningful relationships. Instead, he often takes his frustrations out on those around him.
Ironically, to Jackson Lamb, his abuse is also a kind of mercy. He sees it as a way to deter the spies who work under him from being bitten and spat out by the same system that broke him. Having devoted his life to MI5, Lamb is left with nothing but a messed-up conscience and an even dirtier mouth. Of course, Lamb has a reason for all this bad behavior. In the past, he was forced to kill his mentor, Charles Partner, after Partner betrayed MI5. In exchange for this task, Lamb asked to be put in charge of Slough House, where he could live out the rest of his days without having to worry so much.
In this sense, Jackson Lamb is almost singularly unique in storytelling, because when audiences first meet him, he’s already at the end of his story arc, not the beginning. And after three seasons so far, there’s little reason to think that’s going to change anytime soon.
How long does Gary Oldman want to play Jackson Lamb?
Slowly but surely, we are winning the race
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Jackson Lamb is the perfect example of a person who gives too much of himself to his career. Having made this mistake, he is today an unlikable man that the public still loves, even if they never want to work with him. Probably because, despite his disheveled and angry appearance, if his colleagues are in a difficult situation and need his help, he always rises to the occasion, even if he prefers not to.
Gary Oldman appreciates that a character like Jackson Lamb is not too common. There are nine books in Mick Herron’s series, and season 5 of Slow horses has already been filmed. So far, the series has primarily adapted one book per season, meaning there could be up to nine seasons of Slow horses at least. According to Gary Oldman, season 5 of Slow horses will put more emphasis on Jackson Lamb than the previous ones and let them know why he is the way he is.
As for how long Gary Oldman hopes Slow horses will continue, well, as far as he’s concerned, he might continue playing the character of Jackson Lamb for the rest of his career.. Considering the critical and popular reception the series has received, there’s a good chance this will happen, and ironically, the only one who might complain about it is Jackson Lamb himself.