Jude Law is best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts and Dickie Greenleaf in the Oscar-nominated 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, among other roles. The actor recently starred in Ron Howard’s thriller Eden, which centers around European settlers desperately seeking change, turning their backs on society to create a new life on a previously uninhabited island in the Galápagos.
Law portrays Friedrich Ritter, a doctor living with his wife, played by Vanessa Kirby, on the isolated island before the settlers arrive. In one scene, Law goes completely nude, taking a creative leap of faith for the role. However, he wasn’t the only one to take bold risks. During Eden’s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Law spoke about the scene during a Q&A session moderated by Cameron Bailey.
Law revealed that the film’s genre required the entire team to stay on their toes and be open to taking bold risks. “We all had to be audacious,” he said, admitting that he “probably required a little more audacity” than the others.
He further elaborated that, for him, the most challenging part of the scene was finding fluidity in his movements while walking—especially being naked. However, he credited the camaraderie between his co-stars for helping create the carefree and nonchalant feel in their performances. “There was something enticing about being in an ensemble,” he recalled.
“In the beginning, we were all asking, ‘How far are we going to go?’ It’s a lovely and fluid game of trust and chance,” he added. The star-studded ensemble also includes Ana de Armas, who plays a self-proclaimed heiress, and Sydney Sweeney, who portrays German housewife Margret Wittmer, relocating with her husband and experiencing a bizarre birth scene while fending off feral animals.
Ron Howard, director of A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code, has high expectations for Eden, which is based on real events. According to Howard, the film surpasses anything he’s done in terms of style and tone. Beyond being a survival story, Eden explores the complex dynamics of love and family.
“As dark and bizarre as the story is, we prove that survival of the fittest is connected to love and family. It’s a family story! Parenthood to Eden… don’t you see it?!” he said. Eden is set to release on September 7, 2024.
