34 Years Later, Gary Oldman Reflects On Dracula Feud With Francis Ford Coppola

Published Sep 13, 2026, 2:15 PM EDT Abigail is an editor for ScreenRant, currently writing and editing movie news. You may also have seen her thoughts on animated television, musical theater, and fantasy literature in Paste Magazine, Fantasy Hive, or The Oxford Blue. She has also written SR lists and op-eds covering movies, TV, and books as well. She is an English major through and through, having graduated with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MPhil from Oxford University. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Decades later, Gary Oldman looks back on a highly scrutinized production from his career. The 68-year-old Oscar winner's most famous project in recent years is the dark comedy thriller Slow Horses, soon returning for its sixth season, but he also remains known for his roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Darkest Hour, the Dark Knight trilogy, the Harry Potter franchise, and more. Now, he has something new to say about an iconic, if not universally beloved film: 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula. The fact that Francis Ford Coppola was directing drew Oldman to playing the titular count, but he admitted at a panel discussion on Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival that it wasn't always smooth sailing: "The interesting thing about it was that it was Francis Coppola's Dracula, and how he would see it and what vision he'd bring to it. We sometimes would come together and we'd butt heads" (via EW). While he still described working with the director and the rest of the cast as "a good experience," Oldman said that he is "not very proud of" his conduct on the Dracula set. However, he shared that Coppola has maintained a friendly relationship with him over the years. "[...] when I later directed, I used a clip from Apocalypse Now [in my movie.] I obviously had to ask permission, and he gave me that clip for free," he shared. "Later, I ran into him again in Cannes. Whatever differences we had at the time, we made up." With the perspective of now having directed himself, Oldman clearly has respect for Coppola, praising his technique while also saying: "We're all a bit nuts [...] Directors, they're all very strange. They're brilliant. Some of them are very good friends, but they're all a bit nuts." The up-and-coming members of the Dracula cast subsequently had very prolific careers, with Ryder earning two Oscar nominations within a few years for The Age of Innocence and Little Women. Meanwhile, Dracula maintains a Tomatometer of 69% and Popcornmeter of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting its immovable if flawed place in the history of Dracula adaptations. Dracula is hardly Francis Ford Coppola's best movie when the filmmaker's repertoire also includes The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Outsiders, but he succeeded in creating a striking vampire feature. Luckily, the actors are still able to look back on the experience fondly, despite the difficult days on set. Bram Stoker's Dracula is available to stream for free on Pluto TV. Release Date November 13, 1992 Runtime 128 Minutes Director Francis Ford Coppola Writers Bram Stoker, James V. Hart