Star Cary Elwes reveals Gary Oldman slept in a coffin every night while filming Bram Stoker's Dracula and isolated himself from the rest of the cast. Based on the iconic novel of the same name, the story centers on the titular centuries-old vampire as he travels from his homeland of Transylvania to England in the late 19th century to seduce Mina Murray, fiancée to his barrister Jonathan Harker, believing her to be the reincarnation of his dead wife. However, Dracula's travels to England also inflicts havoc in the foreign land, with Harker fighting to find a way to save his love and protect those around him.

Oldman leads the cast of Bram Stoker's Dracula in the titular role alongside Winona Ryder as Mina, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan, Anthony Hopkins as Professor Abraham Van Helsing, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes and Tom Waits. Hitting theaters in late 1992, the film received generally favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike, with most celebrating the film's grandiose production design and most of the performances, though Reeves' turn as Jonathan drew largely negative reviews, namely for his poor English accent. Bram Stoker's Dracula was also a box office hit, grossing over $215 million against a production budget of $40 million, and would garner four Oscar nominations, winning three for Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Makeup.

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Elwes recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for a career-spanning interview, covering everything from Robin Hood: Men in Tights to the long-awaited Mission: Impossible 7. When reflecting on filming Bram Stoker's Dracula, the star revealed that Coppola's unique filming method worked well for Oldman as the lead isolated himself from the rest of the cast and slept in a coffin throughout production. See what Elwes shared below:

"Francis believes that the more time the cast spends together that will translate onscreen. So he had all the vampire hunters live on one property and poor Gary [Oldman] had to live by himself. Gary was sleeping in a coffin every night, that was how seriously he took it. He was sequestered from us all — by choice. So we met him for the first time on set during rehearsals and then we’d never see him again."

Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Having received his training in the theater before coming to film, Oldman is well-known for the method acting approach he brings to his roles, taking a number of larger characters in which he could be a very physical presence as much as occasionally over-the-top. This method approach has helped a number of his roles carry on long since their release, namely his partnerships with Luc Besson in Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, his turn as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy and his first Oscar-winning performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Elwes' reflection on filming Bram Stoker's Dracula falls in line with Oldman's unique acting method, choosing to not only voluntarily isolate himself from the rest of his cast, but also sleep in a coffin to truly get in the mindset of the titular vampire.

Nearly 30 years since its release and Bram Stoker's Dracula continues to be a game changer for the vampire genre, having introduced a number of new tropes including retractable fangs and the transformation into actual bat-men while also serving as the key influence for various parodies and satires over the years, namely the What We Do in the Shadows franchise. Oldman's portrayal of Dracula has also frequently been cited as one of the best incarnations of the iconic vampire, with some ranking his version higher than those of Bela Lugosi's and Christopher Lee's. Bram Stoker's Dracula is currently available to stream on Netflix.

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Source: THR