Interview4

Alfie Interview.
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Jude Law has been one busy guy. Just this month he has two DVD releases coming out, Closer and Alfie, both very sexy movies with equally sexy costars. We caught up with him to talk about the latter film, costarring his beautiful fiancée, Sienna Miller, the bohemian-chic starlet shining oh-so-brightly as the new It-girl according to gurus of fashion and movies alike.

Sandwiched between already-released Cold Mountain, I Heart Huckabees and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and The Aviator, out next month, Closer and Alfie round out a solid six movies out on DVD this year starring this charming lad from Lewisham, England. Aside from his rigorous professional endeavors and upcoming marriage to Sienna, Jude is the proud and doting daddy of children Rafferty, Iris and Rudy from a former marriage to actress Sadie Frost.

Jude Law updates the term suave into a new kind of cool. He has a lot to say, and we surely didn’t mind the listening.

When is a relationship at its best?

JL: I just want to say something to begin with. I’ve had a really rough time of late in London with certain tabloids and magazines, and I found myself constantly in litigation with them over untruths and slander. Unfortunately, a lot of them have also provoked constant harassment by paparazzi of both my children and me and, whilst I completely understand my role as an actor and a public figure, I’m a grown-up. I can deal with that. I hope you understand at this time I find it very hard to talk about certain personal things that will appear in print because I have to protect my children. And that’s a priority of mine. I’m happy to talk about the movies, but anything other than that, I am going to steer comfortably away. That being said, it’s clear in Alfie that a relationship works when people are upfront and honest with each other and also weather storms [together], and at its worst it’s when there’s deceit and distrust and dishonesty either to the other person or to oneself.

On a very light note: How do you relate to being labeled with such tags as metrosexual like your character Alfie?

JL: I’ve still yet to understand what a metrosexual is.

It’s a straight man who enjoys grooming himself, shopping, perhaps owns a pink shirt and is in touch with his feminine side.

JL: And what do I think of those labels? I don’t like labels period, and I haven’t got a pink shirt. (Smiles)

What attracted you to playing Alfie?

JL: I think the most interesting thing about this piece is that, aside from the journey, it’s quite a rare piece in that you very rarely see a film that is solely seen through the eyes of one person, or in the head of one person, and it’s quite unique in that way. What I also think is appealing—and what appealed to me—was that it was an opportunity to look at relationships and possibly relate to one of the characters in one of those

relationships at some point in our lives. The reason I enjoyed the part and wanted to be in it was because I felt empathy with certain moments in his life, and with the other people in this film. I’ve witnessed friends of mine going through the same thing.

Reports from the set allege that you were quite the flirt, and that every woman was falling in love with you.

JL: I’m a big flirt?

Yes. And, women were falling in love with you.

JL: (Smiling) I was deeply in character.

Did you notice that women were staring at you?

JL: No. There were a few grips staring at me, but apart from that… (Smiles)

Do you think there is a small Alfie in every man?

JL: I think there is a small Alfie in every man and I also think there’s a big Alfie in some men. Women too! (Laughs) What’s interesting to me is that the original 1966 film is very relevant, and the reason we were excited to revisit it was exactly that. Because of the sexual revolution that followed the original, women have found themselves on a much more equal plane sexually, and I think women will recognize a lot of his inner voice as true to them. I know I said it jokingly, but seriously, one of the most exhausting, one of the biggest challenges of playing this part was that Charles [Shyer, director] insisted constantly that I put myself forward, that I play this guy constantly with a smile, on a shoeshine and on an up and on a buzz, which is not me at all. It was exhausting because I had to maintain it 17 hours a day, six days a week for four months. It was quite demanding so, whilst I was joking that that was the energy I brought to the set, it had to be in the end. It was something that Charles constantly provoked and provoked. I kept trying to drag this guy into, like, “maybe this is when he stews in his own kind of self-doubt and guilt,” and he was like, “No! What are you talking about? This guy’s make-up is that he doesn’t even know he’s doing anything wrong. It’s just the way he is. It’s how he survives.”

The role requires you to break the fourth wall—to speak to the camera. Did you find that daunting or enjoyable? And did you rehearse in front of a mirror? JL: I quite enjoyed it. It reminded me of a lot of theatre I had done. It’s amazing how much the aside is used in especially classical theatre. There’s not as much in the original [Alfie]. A couple of things struck us. First of all, we were aware that that device wasn’t going to be as impactful in our version because, with TV and with some other films, people have seen it before.

Michael Caine has said publicly that he was happy you were chosen to revive the Alfie role. How well did you get to know each other?

JL: We met about six years ago and have continued to stay in touch. We’ve been for dinner several times. He is a generous and very positive and friendly guy. He never showed anything other than enthusiasm and confidence when I was making the film. He never really offered advice. I remembered a master class he gave on English television once. I am sure it was repeated over here where he talked about Alfie. He always saw the camera as his friend. It’s not like he’s someone who would offer advice unless you ask for it, and I never felt that I wanted to. He’s also someone that just gives off wisdom. In a way, I wanted to try as much as I could to find Alfie in me and not try and find Michael’s Alfie and mimic that.

The theme song to Alfie, “Old Habits Die Hard,” won a Golden Globe. Mick Jagger told us that you showed up at the recording studio regularly and also documented special moments with your own video camera How great was it to actually be singing with Mick Jagger?

JL: It was wonderful: first of all, just very exciting to be so hands-on and part of the process of the music being recorded for a film. Very often, especially with big scores, it’s something that happens when you’re long gone from a project and something you don’t see until the first screening, where you then get to meet the musician or composer and there’s been no real interaction. The influence and presence of the music was immense from the beginning, and there were a lot of references to music in the script. But goodness, it was being in Abbey Road Studios too—where The Beatles recorded so many of their famous albums! The piano that Paul McCartney

played on the song “Lady Madonna” is still there. You can actually can sit there and have a tinkle on that. Getting to this point in my career where I’m mixing with these sorts of people, it’s the relish. It’s the cherry! I took my little boy down there and he didn’t know who Mick Jagger was, but I just wanted to take him down so one day he would know that he was in the same room watching Jagger perform and playing the drums along with him. It was a real joy.

Were you actually harmonizing with Jagger then?

JL: Oh, no, no, no, goodness me. That was goofing off. I wasn’t recording at all. I do have footage though. We actually recreated something that happened instinctively, organically. Mick was recording and I went down with my son and shot with my Super 8. The video director had an idea: to link the excerpts from the film to the [recording] studio [footage]. They took me back and I started shooting again; they cut in some of the stuff and I thought it looked great.

Do you feel that you’ve found what you want out of life?

JL: Gosh…momentarily. I mean, I think it changes. The goalposts keep moving, don’t they?