Five Takeaways from Jude Law’s Mastermind Cover Story

Charming as ever, and with a series of daring performances due shortly on our screens, Jude Law appears on the cover of Mastermind 18, now available for pre-order. While the full version of Law’s conversation with journalist Seb Emina can be found in the new issue, here are some highlights from the illuminating interview. 

1. In preparation for his role in the new Netflix series Black Rabbit, Justin Kurzel, who directed episodes seven and eight, gave Law instructions to complete each morning. “They were simple things: get up, get dressed, brush your teeth as this guy, shower as this guy, eat your breakfast as this guy. All of that helps you get into a comfortable place before you’re asked to step over the line and become the character and play him on set,” says Law.

2. His portrayal of Vladimir Putin in the upcoming political thriller The Wizard of the Kremlin is partly based on Giuliano Da Empoli’s bestselling novel from which it’s adapted, and partly on Law’s own studies of the real-life Russian president. “I accumulated as much as I could about the real guy, and then obviously, as an actor, I had to apply that to playing a character in a story that uses this real guy.” He adds: “It’s not trying to make some personal comment on this man.”

3. Law, who some fans will forever associate with his Oscar-nominated performance as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), says Netflix’s 2024 adaptation of the work was a fascinating watch. “It was still as riveting, and they drew such a different texture out of it, which indeed ours did in comparison with Plein Soleil, the Alain Delon version. It’s proof that with great source material, you can always go back.”

4. Despite three decades’ worth of acclaimed performances, Law doesn’t consider himself a movie star. “To me, that term applies to the golden era of Hollywood. People talk about Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as the last great movie stars, and I don’t see myself in that category and never have, really. I also think being a celebrity is very different. I’d place myself somewhere in the middle and say: ‘I’m an actor.’”

5. Law’s next project is sure to be magical: “It’s about the career of Siegfried & Roy, the German magicians who performed with white tigers in Las Vegas. I’m reading up on their history, which is a very random and eccentric niche subject matter.”

Read the full interview in Mastermind 18 which is available for pre-order here.