Gary Oldman apologizes for remarks

Gary Oldman has written a letter apologizing for statements he made in a Playboy interview that have been slammed by Jewish groups.

In a letter to the Anti-Defamation League, Oldman said he was “deeply remorseful” for the comments about Mel Gibson, which the ADL said put forward anti-Semitic stereotypes.

“I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy Interview were offensive to many Jewish people,” Oldman said. “Upon reading my comments in print – I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype. Anything that contributes to this stereotype is unacceptable, including my own words on the matter.”

Gary Oldman goes off on hypocrisy, political correctness, Gibson and Baldwin

In the interview, on newstands Friday and already published online, Oldman wades into the controversies involving Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin, though to be fair, he does so in the context of ripping hypocrisy and political correctness.

Gibson was pilloried for anti-Semitic remarks he made in 2006; Baldwin was criticized for lashing out at paparazzi with an anti-gay slur last year.

“Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him – and doesn’t need to feed him anymore because he’s got enough dough,” Oldman said in the interview. “But some Jewish guy in his office somewhere hasn’t turned and said, ‘That f***ing kraut’ or ‘F*** those Germans,’ whatever it is? We all hide and try to be so politically correct. That’s what gets me. It’s just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone.”

Oldman’s longtime manager, Douglas Urbanski, defended Oldman in a statement to CNN.

“I have looked at the Playboy interview a few times now – in fact I was in the room during the entire 8 or 9 hours. I am unaware – as I have seen reported – of Gary Oldman defending any anti-Semitic remarks in the interview, or, for that matter, anyplace!” said Urbanski.

“He would not do so, and in fact he finds any kind of bigotry, homophobia, anti-Semitism, racism or sexism unacceptable and disgraceful. Period. If you read the Playboy piece correctly and entirely, and in context, it is the hypocrisy of political correctness that Gary is addressing, nothing else.”

The ADL, however, was not placated by Oldman’s apology.

“We have just began a conversation with his managing producer. At this point, we are not satisfied with what we received. His apology is insufficient and not satisfactory,” ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said.

The Playboy interview appears in the magazine’s July/August issue. Oldman stars in the forthcoming film “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”