Jude Law
by Roxanna Bina
IFQ sits down with British actor Jude Law as he discusses politics and power.
IFQ: All the King’s Men is about humancorruption, especially in politics. What corrupts an individual’s soul?
Jude Law: It seems to be the natural course of things. People have been writing about it for many years. It’s in the cocktail and equation of life. Ultimately, for some reason, power fuels corruption. It’s about greed – a taste for never ending, more and more power.
Also it happens when someone on the way of doing something good, ends up doing something bad. You’re corrupted when you remain silent, like my character [Jack Burden] and when you witness something bad happening. Corruption has many faces. The soul is weak.
IFQ: Why is corruption in the heart of the political system? “Politics” comes from the Greek word “Politis,” which means “for the city” and “for the people.” Why do politicians always end up doing something for themselves and not for the people?
JL: Wow, that’s a complex question. Great question. I think what happens is that we think we’re not in charge of it the politics], and we let the politics be in charge of us. Every time a politician is elected and this is true for the politician in this movie, I truly feel that he is responsible and he understands his responsibility vis-à-vis of the people who elected him. But then, he gets lost on the way and he separates himself from responsibility. But indeed, politics seems to always fail. We always think that another system may be better, that grass might be greener with another system, but it always fails on
us. Sometimes it’s the case of choosing the lesser of the two evils.
IFQ: In what ways do you think All the King’s Men is relevant with today’s situation?
JL: All the things we just talked about are universal and timeless. I think the questions of “what’s right, what’s wrong” and “the moral ambiguity of each character” are incredibly significant for every single one of us, whether we are in the political world and whether we have a political opinion or not.
IFQ: How challenging was it for you to do this film? Was there any pressure in playing with such a grand “entourage” of talents
like Sean Penn and Kate Winslet?
JL: At first it’s a little bit intimidating to be among so many great actors, but actually you do feel elevated by their presence and it forces you to be the best. Also, we had such a great time on the screen, hanging out together and going to restaurants. Finally, it was great to shoot in Louisiana. There is a rare and heavy feeling about life in the South. Of course, it was interesting for me [Jude Law is English] to play a Southerner and learn the accent and the moves. It was a great challenge, a great experience and I hope it shows on the screen.