Gary warns basketball players off

Gary Oldman has jokingly sent a message to basketball-players-turned-actors, telling them, "You can't act".

The star of films such as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Dark Knight and Dracula, guest-starred in a short spoof clip shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live, titled Actors Against Acting Athletes.

"Just as a professional basketball player spends hours on court mastering every aspect of this game, I, Gary Oldman, studied acting for many years to perfect my craft," said the Oscar nominee, while holding a basketball on the court.

"And just as I, Gary Oldman actor, would never try to join a NBA team just because I'm famous, I Gary Oldman would very much appreciate if professional basketball players could stay out of movies," he added.

In an expletive-filled rant, Gary added: "Who the hell told you you could act? The director on your commercial? You're not actors... You suck, get it?"

He then concluded: "That's called acting: it fills you with emotion. I can do that - you can't."

Gary will next reprise his role as Commissioner James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's final Batman film The Dark Knight Rises, and stars in Lawless opposite Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy.

The spoof clip is thought to be aimed at basketball players such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jaffar and Shaquille O'Neal, who have all tried to make the transition from the basketball court to the big screen.