“One of the hardest things”: Jude Law Finds His One Role The Most Challenging to this Day Despite Making a $75 Million Fortune in Hollywood
The English actor Jude Law started his career as a talented theater artist before making his way into feature films. He found critical and commercial success by starring in 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence by Steven Spielberg, followed by Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition and more. Law also appeared in Closer, The Holiday, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Marvel, and more, cementing his place in the industry.
As stated, the actor started his career as a theater artist and has appeared in several West End and Broadway productions, including Les Parents Terribles, Hamlet, and Anna Christie. He starred in 2023’s Firebrand, in which he portrayed the character of Henry VIII and his performance was highly appreciated. In an interview, Law revealed a role he describes as the hardest to portray to date.
Jude Law reveals the character he finds the hardest to play to date
Jude Law is one of the most exceptionally talented artists in the industry. With his hard work and dedication, he has made his place in the people’s hearts. But even the best artists present can find that one character very challenging to play, and Law is no different. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he reveals that playing Hamlet is the most challenging. The actor agreed when the host asked if Hamlet was ‘one of the hardest things’ he’s ever done. He added,
You’re on stage for about 85–90% of the play, and I would say you have these enormous soliloquies. You being scared of taking on something like that is natural, and part of that should be the motivation for taking it on.
He played Hamlet for the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Michael Grandage, who, according to NPR, believes that Law is more than just a pretty face. He said,
He’s known for being somebody who enjoys taking on great classical texts and interpreting them in a fresh and alive way. And eventually, when you do that for quite a bit of your life and you go into your 30s, Hamlet eventually looms up in front of you as something to be tackled before you go on much longer. And so it was with Jude.
The actor spent a year reading everything he could about the play, including the history and various interpretations, before they began rehearsals. The publication notes that Grandage’s direction is all about clarity, adding that the director said that he wanted to present a timeless modern production of Hamlet. He said he wanted it to be as fresh and modern as it could be.
Jude Law on handling fame and scrutiny after the success of The Talented Mr. Ripley
In his interview with People Magazine, the Academy Award-nominated actor mentioned that he’s proud of how he managed to handle all of the extra attention and scrutiny that occurred on set. The actor starred alongside Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, which changed things for him. He said,
It was just a wonderful period of my life. It felt like everything I’d hoped acting and that career could provide me was happening. I was working with a wonderful director and a really exciting young cast. I was playing a guy who was just playing jazz, boating around, swimming in the ocean, and eating the most delicious food in the world.
The movie was a success and garnered a lot of attention at the time, making the stars famous overnight. Talking about the spotlight, Law mentioned that the response that he got was life-changing. After his work on The Talented Mr. Ripley, Jude Law was offered a lot of very significant roles to play, for which he is very grateful.
Law whose net worth according to Celebrity Net Worth is around $75 million at the time mentioned that despite the success and fame he achieved after The Talented Mr. Ripley’s release, he also had to deal with his private life as it was scrutinized too. He said that when he looks back at that moment now, he can only think that he handled the pressure well.
Jude Law’s Firebrand is playing in cinemas.
