Gary Oldman slept in a coffin 'every night' while starring in 'Dracula,' co-star says

• Gart Oldman slept in a coffin every night while filming "Dracula," co-star Cary Elwes said.
• Elwes said to remain in character Oldman "was sequestered from us all — by choice."

Gary Oldman has always been known for being overtaken by the characters he's played over his career, but for Count Dracula, he went next level.

For the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula," in which Oldman plays the Count, his co-star Cary Elwes said the Oscar-winner really lived like the iconic vampire.

"Gary was sleeping in a coffin every night, that was how seriously he took it," Elwes told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. "He was sequestered from us all — by choice."

In the movie, Elwes plays one of the vampire hunters. The "Princess Bride" star said that for rehearsals Coppola brought the entire cast up to his property in California's Napa Valley. Under the director's orders, the hunters all lived together.

"Francis believes that the more time the cast spends together that will translate on-screen," Elwes said.

So while Elwes and the other hunters in the movie — which included Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves — all hung out, Oldman stayed secluded.

"Poor Gary had to live by himself," Elwes said, revealing that his sleeping arrangements were a coffin.

"We met him for the first time on set during rehearsals and then we'd never see him again," he said.

It resulted in Oldman giving one of the most memorable, and haunting, performances of his career.

In "Dracula" we watch Oldman transform several times as he runs from those attempting to destroy him while trying to win over a woman (Winona Ryder) he believes is the reincarnation of his murdered wife.

The movie would go on to win three Oscars — best makeup, costume design, and sound effects — but despite his efforts, nothing for Oldman.

He would go on to win his only Oscar to date in 2017 for "Darkest Hour" playing Winston Churchill.