These days Jude Law is as hot as hot gets in Hollywood, with starring roles in four major motion pictures slated for release over the next two months. Not only is Law recognized as one of the best looking leading men in the business, he’s also one of its most talented. With two Oscar nominations to his credit (for “Cold Mountain” and “The Talented Mister Ripley”) and doubtless more to come, the 31-year-old Londoner seems destined for celluloid immortality. The latest step on that gilded path is as an intrepid aviator in the state-of-the-art special effects extravaganza, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” which co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.
QUESTION: Having helped shepherd this project as both leading man and first-time producer, how did you react when you first saw the finished version?
JUDE LAW: I was thrilled and incredibly proud, because rather than being something I developed, it was something I stepped into and perhaps, for the first time, it was something I could lend my name to in order to empower a first-time director (Kerry Conran) to see this film through.
Q: “World of Tomorrow” is a throwback to the pulp fiction films of the early and mid 20th Century, yet at the same time it feels new and exciting. The kids are going to see the film, but do you also anticipate good box office returns from mature audiences?
JL: You go back and watch those old Errol Flynn movies, they’re full of romance, fighting and adventure, but there’s none of this drug-dealing, coke-snorting, testosterone-fueled cynicism. It exists out there and there’s a place for it in film, but this is a clean-cut, non-cynical action film for the family. It hearkens back to the old movies, and I hope that the older generations will embrace that because we’re not sending it up, but instead paying tribute.
Q: You and your co-stars acted this film almost entirely in front of a blue screen, with computer-produced backgrounds added in post-production. Does this augur for a future without location shoots and real sets?
JL: I don’t know if it does. There will always be room for straight-up dramas that are about script and actors and are shot on location. And there’s no other way of doing those films. There will never be another way of making those films. I suppose there will be more and more films made like (“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”) but I don’t think it spells the end for films like “Garden State” or “Closer.”
Q: This movie has franchise written all over it. Are you up for reprising the role of Sky Captain again?
JL: Absolutely. (While shooting this film) we were already inventing prequels and sequels and whatnot. It’s the kind of world where once you step into it, you can’t help but start thinking about what he’s done in the past, and how they all met.
Q: Several famous actors are also licensed pilots. Now that you’ve flown on film, do you have any interest in becoming a real Sky Captain?
JL: I don’t know if I have the time between the kids and work. Plus, whenever you work, you’re always insured — they hardly let you ride a bicycle when you’re working, let alone fly a plane. It’s certainly something that would be interesting to do, but there are other things on my list that I’d like to do before I learn to fly a plane.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 17, 2004. Read the original PDF.