


Jude Law may have committed a bit too much to his role as Henry VIII in the upcoming film, Firebrand.
Speaking at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Law revealed he had a perfume specially made for the role that smelled of “blood, fecal matter and sweat” to resemble the smell of the monarch’s rotting leg in his final days.
“I read several interesting accounts that you could smell Henry three rooms away. His leg was rotting so badly. He hid it with rose oil,” he said, per Variety. “I thought it would have a great impact if I smelt awful.”
Law went on to explain that he found a perfumer to make the customized scent. “She makes wonderful scents, and she also makes awful scents. She somehow came up with this extraordinary variety of blood, fecal matter and sweat,” he said.
Though he began using it very “subtly,” he said it soon “became a spray-fest.”
Even Firebrand director Karim Aïnouz shook his head as he recalled, “When Jude walked in on set, it was just horrible.”
Despite the stench, Law said he and his co-star Alicia Vikander, who plays Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife Catherine Parr, had a lovely time on the set of the historical drama.
“It sounds really twisted because of course we did awful things to each other,” he said. “But my memory is that we were laughing a lot.”
Firebrand enjoyed its world premiere at Cannes this weekend, where it has been selected to compete for the Palme d’Or.