Hello everyone... Nina here to present another installment of "Across the Pond," Dominique Taylor's semi-regular column focusing on the UK entertainment scene.
Justice for Law
By Dominique Taylor
Jude Law: Sun-kissed charmer or a bad-boy wannabe? Tongues are wagging left right and centre about this particular Brit-finds-success-in-America and none of them agree. On one hand he’s the golden boy who managed to crack it in the States, on the other he’s returned home with his tail between his legs because no one cares if he makes another Hollywood movie or not. And Chris Rock’s comments at the 2005 Academy Awards (“Who is Jude Law? Why is he in every movie I’ve seen in the last four years?”) are similarly ambiguous; was he laughing at Law or with him?
The main thing that has sparked the gossip and confusion is Jude’s plans to leave Hollywood and return to the stage (allegedly to play Hamlet at the Young Vic, rumours quickly quashed by the theatre). Just as the red carpet should have been rolled out welcoming him home, the British gossip columnists were working overboard and stories of an affair with his children’s nanny and his flailing relationship with Sienna Miller were in abundance. So when, in an interview with the Guardian Newspaper, Jude said: “I'm always looking for the right play and the right time. I hope that time might be soon,” the rumour mills went into overdrive, and they ground that statement down to one word: failure.
According to some, Law has lost any punch in Hollywood, signalled recently with the remake of All the King’s Men which flopped in the States. This despite an influx of work in the last nine years that has seen him star alongside some of the biggest in the business (Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks), and work on big budget movies with award-winning directors (Spielberg, Mendes). So what, if anything, has happened to Law?
One thing that springs to mind is a recent penchant for remakes (Alfie, All the King’s Men and recently-announced Sleuth). Another thing could be that of late he has moved away from the more daring (Gattaca, ExistenZ) and into the more comfortable (Cold Mountain, Lemony Snickett). But could it just be that Chris Rock is right. Law has made 10 films in the last four years (six of those in 2004). We mustn’t forget the old adage ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ and perhaps it’s just time for a break.
And returning to stage will give him the opportunity not only for a break, but also offer reminder to all that he has what it takes to enthral and remind the British Press that there’s more to the Law than an intriguing private life. And considering his past performances have generally involved lots of time in the nude, he can also put that rumour about the size of his willy to bed.
