Jude Law Looks Back at 'The Talented Mr. Ripley,' 'Sherlock,' and More
Jude Law almost missed out on his breakthrough role because he “didn’t want to play the pretty boy.” That anecdote about 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which Law received his first Oscar nomination, is one of many he shares in this Role Recall with Yahoo Movies. From a stubborn young man who only wanted to play “weird and wonderful character roles,” Law went on to become the versatile star of films like Cold Mountain, The Holiday, Sherlock Holmes, Dom Hemingway, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, all of which he discusses in the video above. Law’s newest film is Black Sea, in select theaters now and opening wide on Jan. 30. For more highlights from his Role Recall, read on, and watch the video above.
The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
To pull off his character’s shocking death scene in Anthony Minghella’s psychological thriller, Law — playing the arrogant golden boy Dickie Greenleaf — wore a prosthetic facial piece that was timed to split open and gush blood. But other injuries from his scuffle with co-star Matt Damon (who played the murderous Tom Ripley) were real. “We busted each other up badly on that: I did his rib in, he did my rib in, and I gave him a bruise around the neck,” Law says.
Cold Mountain (2003)
“Phil was just an extraordinary force,” Law says of his late Cold Mountain co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman. “He was just fearless and antagonistic, always great at provoking you to get the best out of a scene.” As an illustration, Law recalls the scene in which his character, an upright Civil War veteran, drags Hoffman’s villainous preacher down a long road and ties him to a tree. “A lot of actors would kind of make believe, pretend. He just would not move,” Law says. “So I had to kick his ass down this street. And it was hard work. What I now look back and realize is that that was Philip making something utterly real.”
The Holiday (2006)
Next time you watch this Nancy Meyers romantic comedy costarring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, pay close attention Jude Law’s skin. The actor reveals to Yahoo Movies that Meyers shot the Christmas-themed film’s exteriors in the UK winter, then moved production to Los Angeles to shoot the interior scenes. As a result, he says, “If you watch the film, when I’m inside I’ve got quite a healthy glow to me, and when I’m outside, I’m like, white and pallid. And it’s really noticeable if you know. Makes me laugh every time I see it.”
Dom Hemingway (2013)
To play the louche ex-con of this comedy’s title, Jude Law gained nearly thirty pounds on a diet of soda, ice cream, “meat all day long.” Between that and the 40 cigarettes he smoked daily on set, Law admits that “everything felt gross by the end of Dom.”
