Jude Law reportedly admitted to intentionally smelling foul while playing the role of England’s King Henry VIII in “Firebrand.”
The famous actor admitted to wearing blood and fecal-matter scented perfume to get into character for the new film, while speaking to People at the “Firebrand” premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, Tuesday. He spoke of the on-set environment created by filmmaker Karim Aïnouz.
“Karim creates what I call a 360-degree environment to acting, you don’t know where the camera is, it’s all sort of set up shots, it builds a world,” Law reportedly said. “So the scent was a big part of that, we wanted it to smell and feel real.”
Law didn’t appear to be disturbed by the scent, and went on to describe to People what it was like to film the movie with the set oozing the offensive odor.
“Sometimes we had rooms we’d leave the windows open so it was very cold so we’d wrap up in our furs. Always animals present, which was true to the time, so me smelling bad was just an addition to that,” Law reportedly said.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 11: Jude Law attends the “Firebrand” premiere during the 2024 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on June 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/WireImage) Getty Images
He explained to People that the smell made the experience more authentic, connecting him more deeply with the movie.
“I learned that Henry had this stench because of his rotten legs and I just thought it’d be an interesting addition for those around me who had to faun over him and do his every desire [while] also sort of holding back this retch,” he reportedly said. (RELATED: ‘Actual Pee’: Kate Winslet Describes Filming Wild Scene)
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“Firebrand” is set during the final months of Henry VIII’s rule in England in the 16th century, and highlights the conflicts that surfaced between the monarch and his wife, Katherine Parr. Law costars opposite Alicia Vikander. “Firebrand” is set for widespread release, June 14.
