Gary Oldman’s Son Writes Open Letter Defending His Father Against 2001 Abuse Claim, Says His Mother Is Lying
Zack Sharf
Gulliver Flynn Oldman, the 20-year-old son of actor and newly-crowded Oscar winner Gary Oldman, has written an open letter passionately defending his father against an abuse allegation made by his mother, Donya Fiorentino. Fiorentino accused Gary Oldman in 2001 of choking and beating her with a telephone in front of Gulliver and his brother, Charlie. The allegation resurfaced during awards season as Oldman won numerous prizes for “Darkest Hour” in the midst of the #MeToo and Time’s Up anti-harassment movements.
Following Oldman’s Oscar win for Best Actor, Fiorentino gave a statement to TMZ in which she said, “Congratulations, Gary and congratulations to the Academy for awarding not one but two abusers [Kobe Bryant] with Oscars. I thought we had evolved. What happened to the #MeToo movement?”
Gulliver has now shared his own thoughts about the incident in a letter posted online that defends his father and claims his mother is lying about the alleged abuse. The letter was posted on Tumblr and shared by the Gary Oldman Web Twitter account. Focus Features confirmed to IndieWire the letter’s authenticity.
“It has been troubling and painful to see these false allegations against my father being written about again, especially after this was all settled years ago,” Gulliver writes. “There is good reason that these specific articles and accusations subsided years ago.”
Gulliver refers to his father as his “one and true guiding light” and “only hero.” When Fiorentino and Gary Oldman divorced, Oldman received full custody of Gulliver and his brother. Gulliver writes that he was “granted the good graces” to be raised by his father and only his father.
“If it appears that publicly speaking ill of my mother is something I am either fond of, or accustomed, that is not the case,” Gulliver continues. “She has been a sad and very troubled person most of her life…This lie, all of her lies, things she has been perpetuating and living in as ‘her truth,’ all of this has brought about so much pain and hardship for my father and for all us, his family united.”
Gulliver ends the letter by urging people to “stop repeating, stop sharing, and stop believing the lies.”
“I want only to protect my father’s character, as a person and as an actor,” he writes. “I know he is a wonderfully kind man…In such a momentous year for his career, my father should finally be able to enjoy himself. I hope that we can please make that a possibility.”
You can read Gulliver’s letter in its entirety in the tweet below.
❗IMPORTANT – please read AND share!!
Gulliver Oldman’s statment about the totally false allegations against his father Gary Oldman. It saddens us he had to write this, but hopefully he’ll be heard and understood.https://t.co/JKIDGiR793 pic.twitter.com/POJu8bUhTN— Gary Oldman Web 🌐 (@GaryOldmanWeb) March 5, 2018
Additional reporting by Jamie Righetti.
