Jude Law

NEW YORK – Absolutely. More so than the camera shows.

Jude Law, who is in an astonishing six movies this season, does not

disappoint. He’s as handsome in person, with eyes the color

of the Caribbean, lashes the length of the Channel, a melting

smile, a Cary Grant-caliber jaw. He once roomed with Ewan McGregor,

which might be too much superior DNA for one flat.

No, Law isn’t short, as many actors are, all head atop

truncated legs, but about 5-foot-11.

And, true, he’s rocker thin, more prone to smokes than the

gym.

Is it fair to begin with Law’s looks? At 31, he’s an

accomplished actor, twice nominated for Oscars (“The Talented

Mr. Ripley,” “Cold Mountain”). In seven years of

moviemaking, Law has worked with many top directors and actors.

Everyone praises his professionalism. He even does a good job at

feigning interest in the junket interview, as he sits here talking

about “Alfie,” set to open Nov. 5.

But the looks trump all. His appearance is the elephant in the

room.

Quite possibly, he’s “too good-looking,” which he

mocked on last week’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Law’s kind of handsome makes other men uneasy, prone to

making remarks like “He’s prettier than any of his

costars.” In the case of “Alfie,” this means

Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Nia Long and 22-year-old Sienna

Miller, Law’s significant other and a one-name phenom in the

fashion press.

Law doesn’t use his looks as a weapon. His stance is cool,

courteous. This day he is also tired, distracted and, like many

Englishmen, dentally challenged.

Did he pick robot Gigolo Joe in Steven Spielberg’s

“A.I.: Artificial Intelligence” and the haunted killer

in Sam Mendes’ “Road to Perdition” to play

against nature’s blessings?

There’s no way to ask such questions, no humble way for him

to answer.

So, instead, we discuss the current state of cinematic affairs.

This is, after all, our Jude Law moment.

Law’s output this quarter ranges from “Lemony

Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” in which

he’s heard as the title character though not seen, to

“Alfie,” where he’s in every scene.

“I made these six movies over a period of two years, and here

they are being released in (three) months,” Law said, sitting

in one of those nondescript hotel suites movie stars tend to sit

in.

“I have to look at it positively, though there’s

certainly a downside to it.”

He stars in David O. Russell’s “I (heart)

Huckabees” and Kerry Conran’s “Sky Captain and

the World of Tomorrow,” both out now, as well as Mike

Nichols’ “Closer,” due Dec. 3, and Martin

Scorsese’s “The Aviator” (briefly, as Errol

Flynn), set for Dec. 17, the same day as “Lemony

Snicket.”

“Alfie” is a remake of the 1966 classic that branded

Michael Caine a star, the story of a callow, basically unrepentant

cad.

“There’s no pattern to how I select roles, or perhaps

there is but it’s some unconscious pattern,” said Law.

“I think, on the whole, there’s more texture to these

roles. I always believe we’re all made up of good and bad

bones. If you can bring something attractive to someone deeply

unattractive, you’ve achieved something, and vice

versa.”

Law left school at age 17 to pursue acting. He instantly landed a

soap and stage roles with the National Theatre and in the West End.

He won an Olivier Award as best newcomer for his performance in

“Indiscretions,” and was nominated for a Tony when it

moved to Broadway.

With “Alfie” and the existential

“Huckabees,” Law has ventured into comedic roles,

albeit unconventional ones.

“A lot of romantic comedies that came my way weren’t

something I felt, at the time, particularly interested in doing,

yet I’m a huge fan of the romantic comedies of the

‘30s, ‘40s and even ‘50s,” Law said.

“But I’ve never enjoyed that genre so much in modern

cinema.”

Before “Alfie,” he was against reviving someone

else’s role.

“Looking back on it, I don’t know what I was thinking

(in accepting the part) because, for all intents and purposes, it

really went against what I felt about remakes. It’s a classic

film.

“But two things happened. One is the fear factor, I suppose,

the challenge of trying to pull it off,” he said.

“Gosh, this is something that is a worthwhile hurdle to

overcome because it scared me so much, the sheer size of the part,

and the responsibility that lands on that part’s shoulders.

And also because (director) Charles Shyer turned the spotlight in a

different direction, and made it very clear that this is a

character … who sits like an icon along with the Don Juans and

the Casanovas.”

In “Alfie,” he plays a selfish user, drunk with

self-deception, not above sleeping with his best friend’s

girlfriend. The movie offers no pretty ending and few lessons

learned.

“I’m very proud of this piece. We’ve got to stop

believing that our lives can be wrapped up in red ribbons, or

(being) told that all our problems can be solved,” he said.

“ … Alfie achieves a great amount by questioning himself

just that once” at the end of the movie, where he utters the

infamous line – immortalized in the Burt Bacharach song

– “What’s it all about?”

Law thinks about returning to the theater, possibly in two years.

He certainly has the hair for Hamlet.

In the meantime, he’s “kind of trying to make the most

of the good wave that’s come my way,” a man aware

enough to understand the inviting place where he resides.

Karen Heller
Knight Ridder Newspapers

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