Jude Law

Interview By: Ray Dademo
raydademo@TheCinemaSource.com

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Does anyone else feel slightly bombarded by Jude Law this fall' After all, it's not such an outlandish question to be asking. The two-time Oscar nominee is popping up on more movie screens than that "Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man" I hate so much. By the time New Years Eve rolls around, 2004 will have brought us six Jude Law flicks (not to mention countless hours of coverage on Access Hollywood). Is this some sort of epidemic' Should Law be worried about his adoring public overdosing'

Whether he should or shouldn't is fodder for the pundits. As for Law himself, he isn't remotely shaken. In his own words, "I could let myself get way down with a cynical view that these films that took me two years to make have all come out or will come out in period of about five months -- but that is the reality of the situation, and I have to look at that positively rather than negatively."

Well, if Jude Law wants the positive, than Jude Law shall get it. The truth is that all of his six films represent vastly different facets of Law's talent. His roles stretch from the polished (I Heart Huckabees) to the plucky (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow); the debonair (The Aviator) to the dashing (Alfie). He, himself, will be the first to acknowledge all the inherent variation in his work: "I chose them because they all offered something completely different. They've all come out as very different types of film, driven by very different types of director. I hope people enjoy and recognize their variety rather than the bombardment. Maybe one or two will step on each other's toes, but...what can I say' I've got to live with it."

The latest addition to "The Autumn of Law" is Alfie, a remake of the 1966 Michael Caine picture of the same name. Caine's swinging bachelor has been plucked out of his British surroundings and planted in the center of present-day Manhattan. Ask Law about it, and he'll beam, as though seeing it for the first time. "The heart of this film was in New York. I love this city. Were I following a different path, I'd be living here 10 years ago." His enthusiasm for the Big Apple is undeniable (he's also very careful not to alienate his British fans), but what is it that makes a life-long London denizen so gaga for an alternative' For Law, it's all in the atmosphere. "You always feel you can stay up a little longer," he says, half-excited, half-amazed. "You can sleep a little less, you can squeeze in another gallery or party. It's in the stone."

With Alfie, Law is walking in some pretty daunting footsteps. His predecessor, Michael Caine was nominated for a slew of awards for his performance as the titular lady-killer; a role that is considered to be among his best. With a fair amount of reverence, Law explains his approach to the role as moving forward (with always an eye staring back). "Having embarked on this with Charles [Shyer, the director], we talked about the original, occasionally. But really I think we both felt that we knew it so well and were so inspired by it, and felt that it was so in the DNA, that I certainly never went back and studied it." As for working in the shadow of the Talented Mr. Caine, that's a subject that turns the effervescent Law suddenly serious. "I think I'd have made a mistake if I'd tried to be Michael playing Alfie. I had to be Jude playing Alfie."

But how, exactly, does a Jude Law get inside the mind of a cad like Alfie' After all, his public life reveals him to be something of a serial monogamist. Law's long-term relationship with Sienna Miller ("a brilliant actress," he calls her) came directly on the heels of a high-profile divorce from Sadie Frost. Was there ever a time where Jude Law indulged in any Alfie-like behavior' "I think my late teens. Those years when the world is offering itself to you. If you look at my life, I've was someone who always looked for commitment. That's in my makeup. I think the beautiful thing about this film is that it's not just about a guy who likes to screw around. It's about relationships. You can stand back and look at the wider picture. Everyone of us can identify with being the dumped or the dumper or the cheat. I like to think that everyone, especially nowadays men and women, identifies with this guy," Law says optimistically.

Still, no matter what the public reaction to "Alfie," don't find yourself expecting a sequel. Director, Shyer has stated publicly that there just isn't enough of a story left to tell. Nevertheless, that isn't stopping Jude Law from throwing in his two cents. "We did have this idea that we're going to do a sequel where he's an assassin," Law kids, mischievously. "The catchphrase is 'He shags and he kills.' It'll be a kind of musical-assassin-love story."

We know he's joking. Alfie 2: Back With a Vengeance won't be heading to multiplexes any time soon. But, then again, with the way Jude Law's autumn is going...it can't be that far off.