Jude Law recently opened up about his experience starring in a film that did not perform well, both critically and commercially, following his Academy Award-nominated role in “Cold Mountain.”
Anthony Minghella’s epic period war drama “Cold Mountain,” adapted from Charles Frazier’s 1997 novel, earned six Oscar nominations. Law’s portrayal of William ‘W. P.’ Inman secured a nomination for Best Actor, while Renée Zellweger was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Despite losing the Best Actor award to Sean Penn in 2003, Law, known for his role in “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” entered 2004 with high expectations.
That year, he starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie in “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” appeared in the romantic drama “Closer,” and took a supporting role in “The Aviator.”
From an outsider’s perspective, Law seemed to be enjoying a series of successes two decades ago. However, this wasn’t entirely true.
In a recent interview, the 51-year-old actor expressed regret regarding one of his 2004 roles, describing it as a ‘mistake’ and acknowledging his regret shortly after his Oscar nomination.
The film in question is “Alfie,” a romantic comedy based on the 1963 stage play of the same name. Watch the trailer below:
Law played the lead role in “Alfie,” which did not meet expectations, grossing only $13,399,812 in the US and $21,750,734 worldwide, against a $60 million budget.
The film’s reception wasn’t much better, with a 48 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 2.7 out of 5 stars from Letterboxd users.
In an interview with GQ, Law reflected on his decision to take on the role of Alfie, the sex-addicted limo driver, at a time when he was in a ‘really strong position.’
“I was in a really strong position [at that time] because I’d just had another [Oscar] nomination on the back of Cold Mountain, and for Alfie to be the film I chose to do quite soon after that, I think was a bad move,” Law said.
“I think it was made for too much money, and I was probably paid too much money, which I underestimated at the time.”
Law continued, “I kicked myself that I’d done something that was leaning into the heartthrob and the charismatic lead and it hadn’t worked. Everyone has hits, everyone has flops. But yes, I think it did [knock my confidence].”
He further noted how a couple of failures in Hollywood can leave an actor feeling isolated.
“When you are fresh out of the gate, everyone is intrigued and everyone wants a piece of you. And then as soon as you have a couple of misfires, their attention goes elsewhere.”
“And so there’s a part of you also thinking, ‘Oh, OK, how do I get that attention back?’” he added.