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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
As told to Rich Pelley

Jude Law: ‘Playing Henry VIII messed up my back. I’m still trying to sort it out’

Jude Law
‘I have a great sense of who I am’ … Jude Law. Photograph: Benjamin Trivett/REX/Shutterstock

Why did the paps used to call you “Celebrity Dave”? peter1234
I didn’t know the paps call me Celebrity Dave! If they do, it’s probably because the name in my passport is David Jude as opposed to Jude David. No one’s ever called me David. My mum and dad called me Jude. It was just one of those odd things they did.

You were recently quoted as saying: “I didn’t feel like I really ever leaned into playing handsome. 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.” You were joking, right? NonDairyCanary
I think I was slightly misquoted. What I meant was, in my 20s, I was very conscious of wanting to be taken seriously and play a variety of dramatic roles, so not to be simply cast in the sort of good-looking roles. I played it out in my own head with a lot of agitation and drama. As you get older and you’re no longer cast in those roles, you think: “What was I thinking?” I suppose I can understand a 22-year-old wanting a healthy, broad career. The good aspect of getting into middle age is that your characters can carry a little more complexity.

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