Jude Law admitted in an interview with GQ Magazine UK that it was a “bad move” to sign on to star in 2004’s “Alfie” after earning his second Oscar nomination. Law earned raves for “Cold Mountain” and competed for best actor at the Academy Awards. Then came “Alfie,” a remake of the 1966 film starring Michael Caine. The movie flopped at the box office and was mostly panned by critics.
“I was in a really strong position [at that time] because I’d just had another [Oscar] nomination on the back of ‘Cold Mountain,’” Law said, “and for ‘Alfie’ to be the film I chose to do quite soon after that, I think was a bad move. I just felt it hadn’t elevated [the material] and felt a little light, a little too cheesy. I think it was made for too much money, and I was probably paid too much money, which I underestimated at the time. I kicked myself that I’d done something that was leaning into the heartthrob and the charismatic lead and it hadn’t worked.”
Did “Alfie” flopping knock Law’s confidence? “Yes, I think it probably did,” he admitted. “Everyone has hits, everyone has flops. But yes, I think it did. It also made me aware that, 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 okay, how do I get that attention back?’”
“Alfie” only made $35 million worldwide on a reported $60 million production budget, but Law did earn favorable reviews for his performance. Variety wrote in its review at the time that Law “shines as the English pretty-boy cutting a wide swath through the women of Manhattan.” But the dismal box office returns didn’t bolster Law’s career momentum after earning an Oscar nomination.
Head over to GQ Magazine UK’s website to read Law’s latest profile in its entirety.
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