The actor on 90s nostalgia, how exhaustion helped with his latest role, and his guilt at revealing the truth about Christmas classic The Holiday
Actor Jude Law, 51, grew up in south-east London as the son of teachers. His breakthrough role in The Talented Mr Ripley earned him a Bafta, an Oscar nomination and enduring tabloid attention. Always versatile, he’s been cast in more complex roles as he’s aged, most recently playing Henry VIII in Firebrand. He’s currently starring in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+, and next comes The Order, which Law co-produced and stars in as veteran FBI agent Terry Husk. Directed by Justin Kurzel and written by Zach Baylin, it’s an action film with a political message, anchored in the true story of a white supremacist terror group’s downfall. Its leader was inspired by The Turner Diaries, a novel referenced by Trump supporters during the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
What appealed to you about The Order?
Zach wrote it before the 6 January insurrection happened but by the time we came on board, we were very aware of its relevance. We also knew we had a cat-and-mouse drama that we could lean on, and that meant we could unpack the characters and let this rather disturbing story tell itself. It’s set in 1983 and reminded us of movies from that era and a little earlier – Three Days of the Condor, Serpico, The French Connection.