Gary Oldman eloquently apologizes for being an 'a-hole' in his Playboy interview


On Wednesday night's Jimmy Kimmel Live, actor Gary Oldman put on his best dark suit and bow tie and made his inevitable apology for his politically incorrect musings in an interview with Playboy. He apparently broke out the thesaurus for this one. Once he saw his words in print, Oldman tells Kimmel, "I could see that it was offensive, insensitive, pernicious, and ill-informed," and they "deeply injured and wounded a great many people."
Oldman thanked Kimmel for having him on so he could publicly say, "from my heart, I am profoundly, profoundly sorry," especially to his fans. As a public figure, he added, "I should be an example and an inspiration, and I'm an a-hole. And I'm 56, and I should know better." After this painful (to watch) show of contrition, Kimmel lightened things up a bit, telling Oldman that he was glad to have someone apologize on his show that wasn't named Jimmy Kimmel. Truth.
Apparently, apologizing on late-night TV is the new apologizing to Oprah. Somehow, it sounds more dignified with a British accent. --Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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