Method acting can lead to all sorts of crazy lengths actors will go to ground themselves in a part. In the case of Jude Law playing King Henry VIII in the 2023 new movie release Firebrand, that madness took form through a choice of some rather interesting scents. Namely, he used a combination of poop, sweat, and more to create a very unique body odor to match that particular king’s history of being not so rosy to smell, which has me feeling rather sick just reading it.
Out of all the places to learn this factoid, Law chose a press conference at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to waft this tale into the air. Here’s how the Peter Pan and Wendy star recalled this inspiration to fake, among other things, perspiration:
I read these several interesting accounts that at this period, you could smell Henry three rooms away, because his leg was rotting so badly. And he hid it with rose oil. So I just thought it would have a great impact if I smelled awful. I went to this brilliant perfumier. She makes wonderful scents, but she also makes awful scents. And she somehow managed to come up with this extraordinary variety, which was puss, blood, fecal matter, and – what was the last one – sweat.
The good news is that Jude Law didn’t have to smear himself in those awful scents to achieve the desired effect in his performance as the infamous monarch. However, that still leaves the bad news of his perfumer being so good at their job that she was able to convince himself, and others, that he smelled as if he did.
Behold the magic that gave Firebrand some of its personality and charm, as well as a really on-brand story from one of its lead actors too. Hearing this anecdote about creating the perfume from hell does fall in line with Law’s previous story of crafting a unique Captain Hook look that involved two different eye colors. Although this is a more tactile sort of choice, it’s still just as artistic, and the actor also mentioned how he didn’t abuse that privilege on set.
However, Firebrand director Karim Aïnouz had other plans, as Jude Law revealed in this next part of the story:
Initially, I used it very subtly. I just thought I would sort of use it myself, and it would have an impact. And when Karim got a hold of it, it became a spray fest.
Now that sounds like a director who has a nose for a performance. All kidding aside, Firebrand more than likely benefited from Jude Law making such a strong choice, and director Karim Aïnouz running with it for the sake of the film.
Whenever that project is released, I know I'll be looking for the moments when Jude Law had the spray bottle, and when Karim had his turn. In either case, the story of the film will undoubtedly be served by such decisions, but it'll be a fun experiment to carry out while getting wrapped up in the finished product.
As Jude Law has joined the Star Wars universe through his role in the upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, one can only imagine what opportunities he may take to sink into that universe’s unique look and feel. Though that sort of question could only be answered by learning who exactly he’ll be playing in this upcoming Star Wars series, which naturally isn’t in the cards just yet. So for now, we’ll just have to hope that his perfumer doesn’t know how to create the scent of “Bantha Poodoo” as well as she does puss, poop and sweat.
There are mysteries abound in the world of Mr. Law’s future projects, as we’re still not sure when Firebrand or Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will be making it out to the audiences interested in partaking. However, we do know that the adventure in a galaxy far, far away will be arriving in the same place you can currently see Jude Law’s Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Wendy. Which means that you’ll need a Disney+ subscription to get in on all that plank-walking, iron-hooked fun.
