Jude Law Made Perfume Smelling Like ‘Blood, Fecal Matter and Sweat’ to Play Stinky Henry VIII in ‘Firebrand’
variety.comJude Law wore a horrifying concoction of scents, a pungent blend of “blood, fecal matter and sweat,” to play Henry VIII in “Firebrand,” a historical drama about the final days of the king and his sixth and last wife Katherine Parr. “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,” Law said at Monday’s Cannes Film Festival press conference for “Firebrand,” which debuted at the Palais a day prior. “I thought it would have a great impact if I smelt awful.” So, he went to perfume specialist to create a custom, revolting blend of smells. “She makes wonderful scents, and she also makes awful scents.
She somehow came up with this extraordinary variety of blood, fecal matter and sweat.” “Initially,” he said, “I used it very subtly and thought I’d use it myself.
But then it became a spray fest.” The film’s director Karim Aïnouz shook his head as he remembered the stinky brew, which permeated the entire production. “When he walked in on set,” he said, “it was just horrible.” Despite embodying a monarch for the film, Law says he’s uninterested in the happenings of the aristocracy.
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