Jude Law in the 1990s was one of the most beautiful men to ever exist. People would just stop and stare at his beauty. His Oscar-nominated role in The Talented Mr. Ripley showcased Jude in every way and he became an icon for that alone. I would argue that he was still quite handsome throughout the early ‘00s too, but things started dropping off. These days, he no longer plays heartthrobs or beautiful men – he relies on his acting talent to get by. He’s currently promoting Firebrand, where he plays Henry VIII in his final years, against Alicia Vikander’s Catherine Parr. I just watched the trailer – while there are prosthetics involved, it’s subtle work transforming Jude into Henry VIII. It’s not like he threw on a fat suit and called it a day. Well, Jude is talking about his golden-boy youth and Henry VIII with DuJour – you can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

On Henry VIII: “He’d been a highly attractive and sought-after golden boy. He was a romantic in a way, believing each time that he’d found the right woman. The murder and the mayhem that ensued was part of his sense that they had let him down.”

The version of Henry VII portrayed by Jude: Lumbering around shadowy halls on swollen legs, Law’s Henry VIII is a sour and spiteful menace. “He’s full of regret, self-medicating with alcohol and trying to deal with intense pain and the madness that it brings on.”

The prosthetics involved: “It took so much time every morning to get into this huge, weighted costume and I would stay in it for the rest of the day. You could rehearse in jeans and a T-shirt, but then you would turn up in this enormous outfit and realize you’re going to knock everyone over. So you might as well maintain that sense of Henry’s shape and size.” That went for the king’s stench, too: Law collaborated with historians to conjure up a scent of bodily decay and wore it during the shoot inside a Derbyshire castle.

His beautiful early days: “I didn’t feel like I really ever leaned into playing handsome, but there were roles that required an attractive energy. I was trying to play against my looks in my early 20s, and now that I’m saggy and balding, I wish I had played it up.”

He’s glad that he no longer has to play good-looking characters: Still, parts have recently come the actor’s way that “have not leaned in to any sort of attraction. It’s been satisfying not having to turn that switch on.”

He’s entering the Star Wars universe with Skeleton Crew. Law: He grew up admiring the original films but “wasn’t a Star Wars geek, or whatever the polite way to say it is,” describes his character as “contradictory, complicated, mischievous and at times heroic,” though not very paternal. “He has no time for someone crying because they’re 11 and really scared. He’s like, ‘Pull yourself together and get on with it.’”

Fatherhood: A father of seven, Law describes himself as an “excessive” dad, “because I think about them all the time.” His wife, Phillipa Coan, and their two kids have been traveling with Law for the past couple of years, living in seven or eight countries, an itinerant period he calls “wonderful but hard.” “I’ve never been someone who’s comfortable going off to film for weeks on my own. Having the reality to return to makes you feel normal again before going back to playing someone like Henry VIII.”

Watching his son Rafferty become an actor: “It’s complicated because I’m aware of how hard it is. When I came into this business, I didn’t have the comparison, but with him, people might always say, ‘Oh, you’re just like your dad.’ Which is nonsense; his career is his career. I’m thrilled because we get to share our enthusiasm, and I get to give him advice if he wants to hear it. I’m immensely proud that he’s put himself out there because he found something that he loves. He’s obviously seen the way I work, and it’s rubbed off on him.”

[From DuJour]

The thing about the stench… gross. Why would you do that? Why would you inflict that on your coworkers for the sake of Method acting?? “I didn’t feel like I really ever leaned into playing handsome, but there were roles that required an attractive energy.” I mean… he’s correct that he didn’t take a lot of those parts which would have made him into a chiseled movie star. He was always very clear that he was a “serious actor.” But now that he’s 51, he regrets not taking more of those roles. “Now that I’m saggy and balding, I wish I had played it up.” Me too, Jude.

Cover courtesy of DuJour, additional photos courtesy of Avalon Red.