Jude Law
Appearances
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I'm in a hotel in Beverly Hills. Oh, fantastic. I'm in Los Angeles for a while, promoting and, you know.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
It just sort of occurred because my parents were teachers. This is in the 70s in southeast London. But they had a passion for theatre. So they were members of a local theatre company and they would put on plays. And I grew up in a house where I remember there were always... The kitchen was full of people rehearsing.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Or I'd come down and half our furniture would be gone because they'd be using it on a set in the play that they were putting on. So it was just a big... And I just remember loving... Watching adults rehearse and goof about, it looked like it was a dialogue. It was a language that made sense to me, and I felt very comfortable in it.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
So really, honestly, it was like a kind of, what's the right word, segue as opposed to a kind of decision. I got involved the older I got and did plays, and I joined a company as a kid. Brothers and sisters? Yeah. I had a big sister who, she performed too, but she's a painter.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
It'd be a good one. Yeah, it is a good name. But she's a painter, yeah? She's a painter, yeah, yeah. Oh, wow. So the decision, honestly, was just, I mean, there was a moment when I got offered a job
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
in a tv show i was about 17 and made had to make the decision of leaving school moving out and they just sort of knew that was going to happen and they made me promise if it didn't work out i'd go back to school and i was like of course and um but they were incredibly supportive so wait did you not finish high school like me No, didn't finish. Nice. Wow.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Jason and I stayed in character. The whole time. Oh, my God. He only talked. Oh, my God. I will be honest. It was kind of weird when he shaved the beard because he'd been my big brother with the beard. Yeah. Like, you know, we'd been hugging and fighting, and it's been full on. And then suddenly he appeared, and he was Jason Bateman. Yeah, Jason Bateman. Yeah, exactly.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah. Um... Honestly, not until I was in my early 20s, and I'd done a movie or two, and really, yeah.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
So my first film was a movie called Shopping, and it was about car thieves, and that was in the early 90s. And then I did a film, another English film, but a period film called Wild, about Oscar Wilde, and Stephen Fry played Oscar Wilde, and I played his boyfriend, Bosie Douglas, who was a nasty piece of work. And around then... I'd done a lot of theater in the film, yeah, I guess around then.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But you know how it is. There's still that funny feeling of, God, I just want to get another job. You still think the unpredictable nature of what we do, the waiting is still quite alarming. And you haven't got enough money in the bank. You're thinking, okay, God, this is unpredictable.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
it was the first time and you know it was one of those rare occasions where you read a script and you're you just can't believe it's as good as it is um and that they want you to be in it that was a that was pretty extraordinary um you know i was thinking a lot about that recently and uh ethan was such an incredible uh teacher really to meet and work with ethan at that early
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
really impactful he was he's such a gent and he takes it so seriously but with such a humour and a creative sort of approach and I remember watching him and we had all our stuff together that was that was really influential but moving here moving to the States and making a film and I remember going and rehearsing on the Sony lot and Yeah, it was just, it was a dream.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
No, I was in West Hollywood. I was in one of those funny little hotels where you've got a kitchen in the corner, something sweet, Summerfield Sweet, something like that.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Generous, too. That's another thing. Really generous on set. and aware that he was working with someone who was pretty green. I mean, I'd only done a couple of films and I'm still a little bit like this, but you know, just warm and yeah, it was a very happy time. But here's the funny thing, you know, again, too young to realize that that doesn't mean the film's gonna be a hit. Right?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
So you're sitting there going, wow, I'm in Hollywood. It's really good. And it is. It's a great film. And the proof with that one is that people still refer to it. Thank you for what you said. I mean, and you're right. It holds up. Oh, my God. But at the time, it just sort of disappeared. And I kind of, you know, that was my first taste of, oh.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Oh, you've got to keep trying. You've got to keep throwing the spaghetti at the wall until it sticks, right?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
It's funny how that happens. Yeah, the accountants, the studio. No, exactly. But it's funny how, you know, if it stays in your... I mean, it's not one of those we look back on and go, well, it worked at the time. But, you know, again, this is why it's such a shame in a way that films are judged on their, you know, opening weekend. Box office.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
You think, let's come back and re-review this in 10 years, five years, 10, 20 years.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Someone was saying that Grey's Anatomy is this show that is suddenly being watched by everybody.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah, Ripley really raised my game because of the nominations and the other people in it. There was a little bit of a, there were a few, you know, tumbleweed moments between Gattaca and Ripley where because Gattaca hadn't been a financial hit, I did a couple of smaller parts. But still, there's that thing of, you know, it's not consistent. And Ripley really was a leap forward. For me.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I was working, I did this really odd little film with a director from Hong Kong and Anthony's wife was one of the producers on it. And he was watching the rushes for that while he was casting. I mean, I look back on that decision. That's the way that that works. I don't know how, I mean, I don't know what he saw.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
The great Hannah. Max, who's now a director, was like a little boy on set of that. He was, I think, when they were, say, 10? Was Hannah there, too?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah. I mean, you know, on location all down the coast in Italy, we rehearsed at the famous Cinecitta studio in Rome, and then we shot in Rome, we shot in... Ischia, which is this beautiful island off Naples. Near Capri. Near Capri. There's three, then Progido, and yeah, it was beautiful.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Is it wasted on you? Not as much as I wish I had. Yeah. There was a bit of me looking back. But now you can, I'll bet. Well, yeah, I'm better at it. But there's, you know, I kind of thought, well, this is what movies are like. You know, sitting on a beach and sailing a yacht and hanging out with all these cool young movie stars. And it was exceptionally special because of the, you know,
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
The goodwill that Anthony had deservedly been given through the success of The English Patient and the people that he had assembled were, you know, pretty extraordinary group from the cast to all the crew. It was a great experience. And I wish I'd been a little better at just, yeah, living in it and realizing how special it was.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
It was so good. I was just mad about her. I just so wanted to work with her and witness – I think a lot of, honestly, I've been thinking about this recently, about what kind of drives me. And a lot of it is curiosity. It's why I've kind of done different franchises, too. I sort of, you know, I really, I'm a bit of a film nerd. Like, I just love going to the movies and going to...
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
you know, seeing stuff and having an opinion. But I'm also kind of dead curious about how do they do that? How's that done? And she was flying at that time. And her and Paul Feig and that work that they were doing, I just wanted to witness it. I'll be honest, I... did not feel I was in my comfort zone. Really? There's a scene opposite her.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I suddenly realized very clearly, oh, you're the straight guy. Okay, this is fine. I can play that. Because Paul's coming over writing all these notes, going, try that, try this. And she's just firing off. I mean, I'm holding it together, just trying to keeping a straight face, right? Yeah, yeah. Just don't lose it and really make a fool of yourself. But my goodness, the speed and the ideas.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And then just talk about going off on a tangent. You're sitting there thinking. What are you talking about?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
He's fantastic in that film. There's a scene where the two of them, I think, handcuffed together, right? And they're kind of lying on top. So it's a weird sort of sex-y make-out scene, kind of where you escape. God, he's good.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I kind of balance it up. You know, I love the idea of a challenge, a little bit like the role I play in The Order, which just felt like something completely new and different, and the opportunity to work with someone like Justin on that, who I knew I was in good hands, and he'd sort of take me there. He's the director. You know, those films, Justin Curzel, yeah. And he...
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
That experience was a very good experience, you know, but you have to balance a film like that with, you know, and then I was like, okay, now I need to pay my rent. So, you know, you've got to kind of find something that's going to balance that out, but also... Black Rabbit. I'm curious.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I mean, you mentioned kind of all the boxes that you check, right? And all of them at a different time have a different order. So sometimes, yeah, it's where are we filming this? Yeah.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
who's in it who all of those things come to play family like we're bringing kids and all that kind of stuff is important too yeah so i mean specifically over the last two years i've got a house that's being renovated and i'm having one of those nightmares uh and it's just going on and on and on so me and my wife and the two little ones i've just been like okay well let's just travel the world let's just go wherever i'm working so we've been two years
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
For two years. So we really have. We've been in California. Then we were in Canada and then France and then Australia and then New York. So it's been wild. So it really has been just following the work.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And they're very little. They're both under five. So it's not like, you know, as long as we're both there looking calm and happy, they're calm and happy. Exactly.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I thought I would more, but I really haven't. And we've found some really beautiful homes around and some not so great, but mostly really good experiences. I tell you what I have found hard. I found it really hard going back to UK because without my house, like I had this lovely home there for, you know, I've always lived there. But going there...
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
as a visitor and sort of renting something, it just doesn't feel right. It feels weird. It's really disconcerting. I was just there for a couple of weeks to see my family, my parents. And I don't know. But equally, I've learned I quite like being a foreigner. It's quite like being a foreigner in a city. It feels slightly less emotionally tiring. I don't know why.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
In the UK, you know, I read the news about the UK and I'm like, oh, not again. What are they doing? You know, I feel so emotionally. It's like your uncle letting you down. You're like, oh, don't behave like that.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
A little bit. My mom's not so well. The light in my mom is... I'm sorry. Or the spirit of my mom is slowly fading. She's happy and she's not in pain, but she was very much the... lightning in our family. She was the kind of trailblazer.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
She was the one putting on these plays and telling, you know, packing up our crazy little French de chevaux car and saying, right, we're going to drive across France and camp. And she just was full of energy. And really, I think a big part of why I'm doing what I do and my sister does what she does. So I don't, I miss that with her. I certainly have that with my sister still and my dad. Yeah.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And that's fun. It's nice looking back at those. It's interesting, isn't it? The further away you get from that formative time, how you can reflect on what impact it was having on you and what direction it was sending you in, you know.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
There are definitely filmmakers out there that I admire immensely and would really love to work with. And there's the odd part. Yeah, but not sort of, I mean, there are roles in Shakespeare that I'd love to play one day on stage, but that's sort of not necessarily immediately.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But honestly, something you and I talked about and something you're so good at encouraging, I've seen you do it with others, is directing. I love the idea of it. It scares the hell out of me. You make it look incredibly straightforward and easy. I don't know how you do that. I mean, watching you direct, lead that team out of the gate and perform in it was really quite remarkable, mate.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And it kept making me think. Having a partner like you makes it easy, truly. It makes it... It made me really look at it and consider again. You should, I mean... Because it scares me because of the scale of the decisions.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Okay. The mood. So talking to those who don't know. Talk about his explosion. Yeah, none. The explosion, yeah. This is the thing. You know, you guys will know, the most important thing, I think, on a film set is the atmosphere, right? It's a massive team, all these different groups and skill sets doing all these different things, but they all want to be appreciated. They all want their...
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
their time, and they all need their time. And Jason's just a master at keeping that going. I mean, the spirit of this company, I've got to tell you, cast, crew, everyone, was so positive. I mean, that was demonstrated at the end. We had a wonderful wrap party. Everybody's there with their family. Everyone stays from early doors to the close. I mean, it was so popular. Which is unusual.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah, it is unusual. And that was led by him. And the style of the piece was set up by Jason because it was his, how he saw it, and he, like I said, led us out of the gates. He directed the first two. And so setting that up and getting that right and sort of... What's the word? Engraining it in the DNA of the piece. And then as an actor, right?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And then he's also there as an actor playing opposite you, leading by example, but also... There are those moments where suddenly it's just those little tiny words of suggestion or little tiny nudges like, this is great, this is good, but why don't we go down this path? Should we try this? And it's those moments where you feel like, oh, this is so much fun. You're kind of playing.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And even if you're doing a really dramatic scene, you're kind of giggling to yourself thinking like, oh, we're doing this.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Be brutally honest. I like the idea. I'm going to join Sean in that bubble. I like the idea of being pushed around. Just zip him in. Yeah.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Fortunately not, and I lived a pretty simple life early on. And then I became a father pretty young, and that would be all-consuming. So that I was always, I mean, there was always something to do.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Well, luckily, it was never so much that I suddenly thought... And if it was, then I was usually saved by the life support of another job or a potential job. Yeah, for sure, for sure.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But I realized in the last couple of years, it's been a really big shift for me with my company because suddenly, even if they're not coming to fruition, although we've had a pretty good run in the last couple of years, just having the sense that you've got your hands on the reins and you can develop stuff and you're communicating with writers and directors.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
This is riffraff with the great Ben Jackson. Great Ben Jackson, who's been, alongside me for like 22 years. And the company has given me a much better sense of navigating those moments of thinking. Because ultimately, you're still an actor waiting for someone to think you're right for a part.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah, I love it. I like the process of... I love finding ideas. I love introducing writers to directors and seeing that kind of blossom and bloom. It's a side I love it.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
No, not at all. You were just a fan of... Massive fan. And you know when you suddenly, someone, and it's never me, I'm really good at chiming in and having an opinion, but I'm never someone, I'm never very good with a blank page. You know when people go, okay, let's discuss the directors. I always go, uh... Yeah.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And, you know, you can't be, I want to be the smart one who goes, I've got a left of field idea. I'm always like, you go first. And then I'm really strong to go, no, no, no, not them, not them, not them. But someone mentioned Justin, I think it was Zach, or it could have been Brian. Zach Balin. Zach Balin, our wonderful writer, who we worked together on Black Rabbit.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And it just was one of those moments Oh, yes. This is a perfect fit. This guy looks at really dark areas and kind of toxic people, but puts them in a world where you... It's not about empathizing with them, but you understand them. And he makes it kind of safe for you to go into their worlds. And then he also operates on this high energy.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
He's a big guy and he loves capturing the energy of scenes and drama. And he was just the perfect fit. So, yeah, we had, it was, we Zoomed with him. He was in his house in Tasmania with his big beard. And it looked literally like, and his hair all blown. It looked like he'd just come off a, you know, hauled in a whale and kind of come in.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
He'd come in and sat there like this and just blew us away with his insight. Yeah, I think I can do this.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Exactly. I saw that. There was a lot of relief. We just heaved that up. I know, I know, I know.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I mean, it's absolutely standalone. Oh, it is. I like that. Yeah. I mean, it fits in. I think it's around the same time as The Mandalorian. But here's what got me. You know, I was six, seven when the first film came out. And I was thinking about this the other day. I mean, I don't remember going... I maybe saw... The Rescuers or 101 Dalmatians. Yeah, totally. And then Star Wars.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
And, you know, so it was formative. And John Watts just had this awesome idea. He called me and said, so look, you know, what if we, all that awe and wonder and dazzle that we had as kids, what if we put the kids in that world?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
So it's taking goonies, it's taking normal kids, you kind of argue, and they don't get on with their parents, or they don't get on with each other, or they don't like school, they run away, they get lost, and they're in that world. Yeah, that's cool.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
It was all volume, luckily, yeah. I mean, I think had it been all green, I don't know that I would have enjoyed it as much. I've done that before. The volume is really wonderful. Really?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
So they put the flooring in. So say you're on a moon, the floor is dust and sand and rocks and boulders, but it goes right up to the volume screen and then the perspective of the screen just carries on. So you can be standing in a desert that disappears for hundreds of miles with ships flying around you. And with a wind blowing, they use a wind machine.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah, that's really cool. And the same goes for then a more cluttered set, like a market. We did this huge spaceport, and they built all the... You know, the bars and the stalls and what have you. And each avenue looks like it just goes on and on and on and on. And you've got creatures crossing over. And of course, what you've really only got is, let's say, 50 foot of that.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Who else is in it? Kerry Condon and Tunde from TV on the Radio. And then there are the four kids. Do you know Tunde?
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
That's right. Demi. Demi Philp. Yeah, yeah. Did they play all the music live in that? I think they did. Did they really? In real time. I think that was the idea on that film. Because remember, they're in a band and they're all playing at the wedding.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Allow a lot of time when I land somewhere to get over jet lag. I'm not one of those people who can just pick straight up and get it. Give me a couple of days. Because I think jet lag really is like an illness. You've got to kind of love yourself. It's like you've got flu. Just go to bed. But you've also then, yeah, once you're out of that,
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I really like keeping fit, so I train quite hard every day, usually before I go to work. So whatever that time is, I usually go do something for an hour. And then I usually take my own food. So I can eat when I really want. I can't be doing on a set where they're like, lunch, and you're like, it's 5 p.m. What was I meant to eat? I've got to eat at the right time. Right, right.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
So I eat, like, I get up and I eat in the morning. I make sure I've got food so when it's midday or one, I eat my lunch.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah, I'll eat anything. But I kind of get, I can feel myself getting a bit slower and stodgier if I don't eat well.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But I'm not, I am... Kind of got a funny relationship. I really love a good restaurant. I love good food. But equally, it's just fuel. You know what I mean? I like lamb. You like lamb? I love lamb. Lamb chops? Yes, I love lamb chops.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
You see, my wife loves the mint jelly. I'm not fussed about it. As long as it's got a little seasoning on it...
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah. We finished just a couple of weeks ago, and I'm genuinely going through withdrawals. I mean, it was a long shoot, so you know when it starts to become part of your daily routine. dare I say, you not take it for granted, but you're just, you know, you've been doing it for a few months. And it's just, it's what you do every day. And man, I'm finding it hard. It's been a bit bumpy coming out.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Yeah, it's a very odd part of what we do, right? Yeah. I was trying to explain this to someone. It's like most people have their first day on a job, like, you know, in their 20s or 30s. And maybe they change their job once, like in their 40s. We change a job every day. Three times a year sometimes. Like a whole new group of people. Hi. Hello. I'm Jude. Nice to meet you.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I've actually given young actors that advice sometimes because I remember when I was in my early 20s starting out, You say, don't fall in love with me. You kind of walk away from the film thinking, I've just made 50 best friends, and we're going to see each other every week. And then nothing happens, and you feel slightly heartbroken. So I'm like, they're not going to be your best friends.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
I hadn't played a part like it. And it came my way through my production company. And, you know, it was just one of those. It was so full of potential. It had this incredible true story that I hadn't heard of, an awful lot of people hadn't heard of. It had all this relevance to today and the sort of divisive society that we're living in and that we're seeing around the world. And then...
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
You know, it's also wrapped up in a brilliant cat and mouse thriller kind of genre film. And like Jason said, it's reminded me of those movies, those kind of crowd pleasers that I used to go see when I was a kid with the great filmmakers of Lumet and Friedkin. And it's funny, isn't it, how our... It's the same with other genres, I suppose.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But those kind of movies were at once, with Hackman and Newman and people like that in them, so, so popular. And suddenly they, I don't know, they kind of lost their edge maybe, but anyway.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But it goes full circle, I'm sure, right? I mean, people come, they'll always come back to it. It's like vinyl, right? Everyone comes back to vinyl.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
Have you watched the original again recently? Yes, it's incredible. And like the design, the design for it, all those people who was watching it recently and they said, they paused it and zoomed in on a little area behind, I think, Ian Holm. Yes. And it was basically an old speaker turned inside out, upside down and sprayed white or something.
SmartLess
"Jude Law"
But anyway. In that early Alien. Are you a fan? I love Alien, yeah. Yeah, yeah, so good. Where are you right now? Are you at a hotel?