Oldman's own father was an abusive alcoholic who left his family for another woman when Gary was seven; by the time Oldman reached international acclaim as an actor, he'd developed a serious drinking problem of his own. Nil by Mouth was one of the factors that helped him stay sober after he detoxed in late 1994. "This story was swimming around my head," he recalls. "But I had to get clean to do it. I had to be in the solution, I couldn't be in the problem."
When the movie premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival, its unflinching brutality prompted several walkouts, notably during a scene in which the film's drunken father (Ray Winstone) savagely beats his pregnant wife (Kathy Burke). But Nil by Mouth has also drawn its share of praise from viewers who can stomach—and possibly even relate to—the authentic horrors on the screen. Oldman recalls that when Eric Clapton saw the film, the guitar god told him, "It was like you throwing up all over everyone." Impressed, Clapton contributed the picture's original score.
Nil by Mouth underscores Oldman's ability to travel between two worlds: the release of the low-budget film comes between his portrayals of over-the-top villains in the Hollywood spectaculars Air Force One and The Fifth Element, and New Line's campy Lost in Space, due out this spring. He candidly admits that the movies he stars in are not always the ones he'd like to watch. It's clear that Oldman has no similar qualms about watching his directorial debut—he just doesn't want to relive the experiences that inspired it.
By Stephen Schaefer
(Copyright Mr Showbiz site)