‘Just awful’: Jude Law ‘disgusted’ Alicia Vikander in new film

After causing a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival and the Deauville Festival, The Queen’s Game is finally coming to cinemas. An opportunity for moviegoers to discover the impressive performances of its two headliners: Alicia Vikander and Jude Law.

Directed by Karim Ainouz and written by Jessica and Henrietta Ashworth, Game of Queens returns to the story of Catherine Parry, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII. The latter knows the danger that awaits him, because his previous spouses were either rejected or beheaded (only one died of illness).

With the help of the ladies-in-waiting, Catherine tries to destroy the traps set by the bishop, the court and the king himself, who has died of a terrible illness, which already emphasizes his human monstrosity.

Convinced of the need for a freer and more modern world, Catherine emerges as a rebellious queen who will fight against the abuse of power by the men around her.

A costume film that leans towards naturalistic and feminist horror

A true thriller where Catherine the intelligent and cheeky Belle is a prisoner in the castle of Henry VIII, a hideous and violent beast, this film also leans towards the mystical, both in its hypnotic settings and in the plot, as we have seen, Karim Ainouz explained. :

“It was a genre film. Because to me it’s more of a thriller than a drama. It’s a woman who’s a little stuck, who’s a little prisoner of a monster in a castle. It’s very different. Compared to classic genre films.”

Following the journey of Catherine and her companions, the film highlights the power of sisterhood against the violence of a witch hunt driven by the false morals of men in high places.

“It’s not just a royal costume drama. It’s a story about a woman who survived an extremely abusive relationship. I feel like the film digs deep into you to really feel the stress. It’s a story about a woman who made it through.”Alicia Vikander confirms.

The feature film also portrays it as naturalistic and authentic, with gruesome close-up scenes of deep cuts or wounds, but also more colorful dance scenes and lively and intensely experienced musical compositions.

According to the director, the opulence of the time, lavish sets and colorful costumes were central to the film, which marked the sticky atmosphere and monstrosity of the characters:

“The Tudors had something rich, exaggerated, a little rough, almost operatic. Everything is a little too dramatic, the colors are too strong, the gold is too present. So I decided to make a film that is very colorful, that has a lot of vibrancy, color and that is very alive.”

Crazy performances by Alicia Vikander and Jude Law

Game of the Queen also stands out for its two main actors, Alicia Vikander in the skin of the imperious Catherine Parry and Jude Law in the body of King Henry VIII.

In order to understand her role, Alicia Vikander mainly focused on intense psychological and physical training, because she wanted this film to emphasize the torture, danger and pressure that Catherine Parr experienced in her relationship. Toxic with Henry VIII:

“There was a lot of obvious historical preparation, books I could read. We met some fantastic speakers who came and talked to us and answered all our questions.

I knew she was the wife of Henry VIII. But if I’m being honest, I’d say she was the one who knew him the least. And I realized pretty quickly that this seemed to be the general opinion as well.

I feel like just because he survived, people didn’t really want to focus on his story, which is very sad, but what makes it even more special is that Karim decided to make a movie about it.”

Jude Law, on the other hand, invested 100% in his role to slip into the skin of his character as a disgusting and lame king, but he also used a special technique. An amazing strategy, about which Alicia Vikander told us in an interview:

“She has a perfumer in London who makes her perfumes that match her characters so she can really smell them. To play The Queen, she read that she smelled like Henry VIII, according to the books. Because of her extreme infection by the inhabitants of the castle three rooms down , it was just terrible.

So he forced his perfume to reproduce these smells. It was the most disgusting thing in the world. So when Judy came in after rehearsal and started playing for me and got closer to me, I was shocked and disgusted. It adds a lot of intensity to the scene.”

The Queen’s Gambit movie is currently in theaters.