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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Vanessa Thorpe

Royal stinker: how Henry VIII changed from heroic to hideous on our screens

Jude Law as Henry VIII with Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr.
Jude Law as a large, smelly Henry VIII in Firebrand, with Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr. Photograph: BFA/Alamy

Greasy, hairy, large and smelly are not words that instantly summon up the image of Jude Law. Until now. Because the actor’s latest role, Henry VIII in the film Firebrand, will show him in an almost entirely unflattering light. And the effect will be topped off in later scenes by the pustulant ulcers shown on his legs.

Law is, perhaps unfairly, still best known for his line in clean-shaven leading men, from the inconstant Alfie to the suave Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr Ripley. He has clearly relished the chance to look so unappealing on the big screen.

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