Never say Jude Law doesn’t throw himself into a role. To better inhabit late-stage Henry VIII, he of the rolls of fat, rotting leg and questionable dentistry, Law commissioned a special perfume he’d douse himself in during shooting for new film Firebrand. Its ingredients? An “extraordinary variety of blood, faecal matter and sweat”.
We have questions about this – no doubt you will, too. Perhaps you might like to quiz Law further on the Tudor monarchy or England’s move from Catholicism to the Church of England (with, maybe, a side reference to his role in The Young Pope). In his review of Firebrand, our own Peter Bradshaw writes that “we at one stage get a full-on shot of His Majesty’s pale, fleshy bum as he has conjugal relations with Catherine – like the giant, shaved arse of a sheep. Did Law use a buttock double for this stomach-turning image?” Food for thought there.
Not that the rest of Law’s career isn’t ripe for discussion. He broke through as a golden Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, opposite Stephen Fry in Wilde (1997), before a mesmeric turn as Dickie Greenleaf in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr Ripley (1999).
He’s also been Dr Watson (opposite Robert Downey Jr), Dumbledore (in Fantastic Beasts), twice played roles made famous by Michael Caine (in remakes of Alfie and Sleuth, the latter opposite the great man himself).
He was a charming beau wooing Cameron Diaz in The Holiday, Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel, a conspiracy theorist in Covid-prescient Contagion, the doomed dad in Scorsese’s Hugo, a dastardly double agent in Spy and the young author in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
On stage, he’s done Hamlet, Joseph, Dr Faustus and Henry V. And Star Wars fans will already know that he’s set to star in the latest Star Wars spin-off Skeleton Crew – out for Christmas – he likely won’t talk about that at all, but you can always try.
What else is there to know? Apparently he is named after the Beatles song, turned down the chance to play Superman, was rumoured to be in the running for Bond, features on a Radiohead album and supports Spurs.
We’re chatting to Law next Monday and will print his answers in Film & Music next Friday 13 September, so please post your questions in the comments below by 6pm on Sunday 8 September.
• Firebrand is in cinemas from 6 September
