In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo goes back in time to realize not much has changed with the film, “Firebrand.” Directed by Karim Ainouz (“Invisible Life,” “Futuro Beach”), the film follows Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the sixth wife of Henry VIII (Jude Law), who finds herself fighting for survival when the paranoid king grows more suspicious of her actions. The film also stars Eddie Marsan, Simon Russell Beale, Erin Doherty, and more.
During the interview, Law and Vikander discussed their parts being filled with “so many colors to play” that the roles were almost irresistible.
“I just remember thinking I really wanted to make sure that there was a hint of all these years of the other Henry VIII that maybe we all know was present – seeing him laugh and holding court and being funny and playing music and carousing and then equally being terrifying and sometimes utterly unpredictable and rather pathetic,” Law said. “I think all of that was going on in a tumble dryer in these last few months [of his life]. I think he knew he was coming to his end, he must have. He knew it was a miracle he was still alive after 10 years with these wounds and his body was shutting down on him. And so it was just a case of really trying to pick your moments and navigate those within the narrative of Catherine’s experience of him.”
“When you meet somebody who actually is in an abusive relationship today, you think, ‘why don’t you just leave that person?’ [Catherine] can’t even [leave], you know? She’s stuck,” Vikander added. “There must be a belief that she’s clearly not the victim when you look at what she managed to achieve and I think then you need to create a reality that makes sense for you to be able to survive. And I also think that part of it would be that she immediately knew that she had to navigate this man, manipulate him to make him feel like he was seen and that she was the person and the wife that he wanted her to be. And that was something that I would say, when I did it, I think there was a part of it, I was like, ‘she knew she was good at it.”
The film debuted to a raucous eight-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival but has been criticized by some for taking too many liberties historically. Law addressed this directly in conversation, pointing to lectures from “multiple historians” on set.
“Something that we both remarked on was how the more you read, the more you realize there are actually only, let’s say 50 truths that they know actually happened and everything else, even in the history books, has been interpreted,” Law said. “So it didn’t feel that we were breaking any rules by saying, ‘Well, wait – let’s interpret this as a couple.’ Let’s interpret this as – this is what they were like lying in bed together or feasting together or after a night carousing, like how would they have interacted as a couple? Just Catherine and Henry in private or not in private, you know? There has to be that kind of interpretation allowed, I think, in storytelling.”
The conversation shifted to upcoming projects for the two actors. Law can be seen next entering a galaxy far, far away for Jon Watts’ upcoming “Star Wars” series, “Skeleton Crew,” which is described as an Amblin-esque adventure following a group of children and a force-user played by Law.
“It was a really happy time,” Law said of his experience on set. “It’s funny how familiar it all feels, you know? I mean, I’ve grown up with [‘Star Wars’] for 40-odd years. And so you walk onto a set, and there’s a bounty hunter and a Jawa and all these familiar faces in many ways. It sort of feels like a world – You think, ‘ah, yeah, I know these guys.’ Obviously, it’s a whole lot of fun. And I don’t say that in any patronizing way, but, you know, I really wanted to bring fun to it. I remember the original films just brought me so much joy and the fun that it seemed they were having – Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill. I wanted to really try and draw on that and embrace it myself, and not take it too seriously. And that was made easy because the main cast are really our children. And honestly, living it through them was a really great addition for me. You know, it really highlighted the wonderment of the whole thing. And what an amazing group of directors. It was Jon Watts, but also The Daniels and David Lowery and Lee Isaac Chung, and Bryce Dallas Howard, incredible directors who all brought their own [thing]. What was funny was, having been on it after a few months, I knew every day the first day they’d all be like [wide-eyed] – they couldn’t hide their own enthusiasm because, like me, they’d all grown up and suddenly, they were in that world, too.”
READ MORE: Firebrand’s’ Alicia Vikander Saw The Future In Catherine Parr [Cannes]
Vikander has been trying to get a sequel to her successful “Tomb Raider” film going for some time now, but with a recent series from Phoebe Waller-Bridge announced by Amazon, things have been a bit more confusing. Vikander, who isn’t involved in the series, says it all came down to one thing – rights.
“I was super excited about doing a second one, but I think MGM lost the rights. And then it kind of was on hold. And that’s where it’s been since.”
Law and Vikander are also preparing to star opposite one another again in “The Wizard of the Kremlin.” Based on the book of the same name, the film follows a young Russian filmmaker who becomes an unlikely advisor to Vladimir Putin as he rises to power in post-Soviet Russia. While not 100% confirmed, when asked directly if he was playing Vladimir Putin, Law smiled and simply said, “Maybe…”
Before the interview concluded the subject of Law almost playing Superman in an unmade ‘Batman vs. Superman’ film opposite Colin Farrell as Batman came up, which the actor confirmed and reflected on contemplating the role.
“So this is true. Yeah. And there was a process of flirtation going on. And I always resisted because it just felt like [off],” Law shared. “And I know you can say, ‘well, but you played Yonn-Rogg & Dumbledore!’ It just felt like a step too far. And it never sat with me comfortably. And it was when Brett Ratner was going to direct, I think. And they didn’t have a script, if I remember rightly, but they – did they have a script? I don’t remember reading one. This is a long time ago. They brought me the suit…I tried it on.”
“It wasn’t the Reeves suit,” Law continued. “It was a kind of like it was more metallic. Anyway, I tried on and I looked in the mirror and part of me initially was like, ‘wow, this could be a [good thing],’ and then I just thought, ‘no, you can’t – you can’t do this. You can’t.’ And I didn’t sell myself to myself. And I stepped away and the film never happened anyway. So maybe it probably wouldn’t have done anything. What’s nice now is looking back at, I love the way you set this, the question up, ‘what may have been,’ yeah, looking at it now as a 50-year-old bloke. I’m like, ‘Oh, that would have been good, that would have been fun, actually.”
The Playlist Presents – Jude Law & Alicia Vikander’s Film Recommendation Playlist:
1.) “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) – Directed By Stanley Kubrick (Vikander)
2.) “Challengers” (2024) – Directed By Luca Guadagnino (Law)
3.)“The Teachers’ Lounge” (2023) – Directed By Ilker Çatak (Vikander)
4.)“Monster” (2023) – Directed By Kore-eda Hirokazu (Law)
5.)“Oasis” (2002) – Directed By Lee Chang-dong (Vikander)
6.) “Poetry” (2010) – Directed By Lee Chang-dong (Vikander)
“Firebrand” is in theaters this weekend via Roadside Attractions. You can listen to the full interview below:
The Discourse is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes The Playlist Podcast, Deep Focus, Bingeworthy, and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.