Jude Law Admits He Became ‘Obsessive’ About Vladimir Putin While Preparing For 'The Wizard Of The Kremlin'
Jude Law reveals his “obsessive” study of Vladimir Putin to play the Russian leader in The Wizard of the Kremlin, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
British actor Jude Law has revealed that he became an “obsessive” student of Russian President Vladimir Putin while preparing for his latest role in The Wizard of the Kremlin. The film, directed by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas, had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it is competing for the festival’s prestigious Golden Lion.
A physical resemblance enhanced on screen
At 52, Law already shares an unmistakable likeness to Putin. That resemblance was amplified by hours in the makeup chair and careful study of Putin’s mannerisms. The actor said he focused particularly on the president’s scowl and distinctive gait.
"There's a lot of footage one could watch and, personally, when I start going down that rabbit hole, it becomes sort of obsessive," Law told reporters. "You're looking for ever more, newer material."
What made the role particularly demanding, he noted, was Putin’s famously inscrutable public image. "The tricky side to me was that the public face that we see (of Putin), we see very, very little," Law explained. "There's this mask." Despite the intensity of the role, he credited an “amazing makeup and hair team” for the transformation and said he felt no fear of repercussions.
A political drama rooted in literature
The two-and-a-half-hour feature is adapted from the bestselling novel by Italian writer Giuliano da Empoli. The story follows Putin’s rise from intelligence officer to powerful head of state, seen through the eyes of fictional advisor Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano.
Assayas said the project is less about one man and more about a system. He described it as a story of authoritarianism, tracing Russia’s path from a chaotic democracy in the late 1990s to Putin’s entrenched autocracy. "We made a movie about what politics has become and the very scary and dangerous situation we all feel we are in," he told the press.
Critical reaction divides opinion
The Venice launch brought mixed early reviews. The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of Law and Dano but argued the narrative suffers from being overloaded with characters and events. On the other hand, Screen International called the film “fast-moving” with “a screenplay dense with incident.”
With 21 films in contention for the top prize at Venice this year, The Wizard of the Kremlin has already distinguished itself as one of the festival’s most politically charged entries, marrying performance, history, and contemporary anxieties about power.
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