'Slow Horses' Season 3 Interview: Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden

Moviefone speaks with Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden about 'Slow Horses' Season 3. "The script is your map, all one has to do is follow the signposts," Oldman said.

Premiering November 29th on Apple TV+ is the third season of the popular spy series ‘Slow Horses,’ which stars Oscar-winner Gary Oldman (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’), Jack Lowden (‘Dunkirk’), Olivia Cooke (‘Ready Player One’), and Kristin Scott Thomas (‘Only God Forgives’).

(L to R) Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden star in Apple TV+'s 'Slow Horses' season 3.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden about their work on the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ having the opportunity to explore their characters over three seasons, and drawing inspiration from the novels the series is based on.

Gary Oldman in 'Slow Horses' season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

Moviefone: To begin with, Gary, can you talk about the advantages of creating a character for a series verses a movie, and now that you are in your third season, do you feel like you really know who Jackson Lamb truly is?

Gary Oldman: I think we know who they are, and I think the writers now know who we are. With a feature film, you've got an hour and a half, two hours, to tell a story. I think the thing I've always actually liked about long form is that you get to really focus on character. We are on the journey with a particular character as it goes along and unfolds. So, I find it very satisfying and very liberating that we can work on a character and tell a story over basically, over six hours, rather than a tight timeframe or two.

Jack Lowden in 'Slow Horses' season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.

MF: Jack, similar question for you. Now after three seasons of ‘Slow Horses’ do you feel like you really know who River Cartwright is or is there still more to explore in future seasons?

Jack Lowden: I'm still figuring him out for sure. I really do feel that I'm experiencing it along with River because you really don't know what's around the corner. He really doesn't know, and I don't know what's around the corner until the scripts land in our inbox and I've purposely not read the books past the point that we're at. But by the end of this whole journey with ‘Slow Horses,’ that could have been a massive mistake. I don't know. But I'm quite enjoying not knowing and just finding out as I go along. But his character development is quite interesting in going from somebody who thinks quite highly of himself to where I think it's beginning to unravel ever so slightly, which is probably what someone needs when they're so insanely arrogant is that he needs to be brought down and I think he's sort of realizing that. So, it's a real joy to play him because I don't really know where he's going to go.

Related Article: TV Review: 'Slow Horses' Season 3

Academy Award winner Gary Oldman returns for the third season of 'Slow Horses,' coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.

MF: Finally, Gary, when first started playing Jackson Lamb, did you draw inspiration from Mick Herron’s novels, or people that you’ve known in your own life, or did you just create the character based on how he was written in the scripts?

GO: As an actor, I think I like to refer to it as the script is like your map of the world, and if the material is good, then all one must do is just follow all the signposts. I think that often if you've got poor material, then you're just working too hard. If you break a sweat, you're working too hard. With Mick, he's created this world and these characters so magnificently. I have just followed Mick's directions. The character is in the material and in the books. The character is there for you. I have brought, like you do with anything, you bring your own inherent humanity to a part, but it's out of the imagination of Mick. I just really had to follow the map.

Jack Lowden returns for the third season of 'Slow Horses,' coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.

What’s the Plot of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 3?

In Season 3 of ‘Slow Horses’, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London.

When Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House –– but of MI5 itself.