The iconic role Jude Law was too scared to play: “It just felt like a step too far”
During the 1990s, British culture was booming with the dominance of ‘Cool Britannia’, which saw Britpop, supermodels, acid house, New Labour, the Spice Girls, football culture, and bold new films like Trainspotting and Human Traffic define the era. There was a renewed sense of optimism for many, although the aftershock of Thatcher’s rule was still evident in plenty of media, which teetered the line between excitement and disillusionment.
Many British actors rose to prominence during this time, like Hugh Grant, who played the floppy-haired heartthrob of many classic rom-coms and period dramas, while Ewan McGregor could be seen in movies like Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, both by Danny Boyle, whose work represented a more creative and enduring turn for British cinema.
Then there was Jude Law, who appeared in a mixture of British and American productions during the start of his career, such as Wilde and Shopping. While he didn’t begin his tenure in the industry in the most acclaimed productions, he gained fame as part of the Primrose Hill group alongside the likes of Kate Moss, Liam Gallagher, and Sadie Frost, defining a new era of British celebrity.
He became known for his quintessentially British persona, yet it was the American thriller The Talented Mr Ripley that gave him his big break in 1999, allowing him to rise to international acclaim. He then appeared in various Hollywood hits, like AI Artificial Intelligence and Road to Perdition, but he didn’t forget his British roots with a role as the Cockney protagonist in Alfie, a terribly-received reinterpretation of the classic 1966 Michael Caine film.
While Law firmly emerged from a very British background, he didn’t hesitate to jump into Hollywood, and eventually found himself offered a very significant role that could’ve changed the course of his career. The actor was hesitant, however, feeling as though he wasn’t the right choice for such a significant part.
In 2004, Law was given the chance to play Superman in a project that ended up getting scrapped – Superman: Flyby. Appearing on The Playlist’s ‘Discourse’ podcast, the actor revealed, “So this is true. Yeah. And there was a process of flirtation going on. And I always resisted because it just felt like [off]. And I know you can say, ‘Well, but you played Yonn-Rogg and Dumbledore!’ It just felt like a step too far.”
The actor simply wasn’t convinced that he was meant to play the superhero, and he was even more put off by the costume. “And they didn’t have a script, if I remember rightly. Did they have a script? I don’t remember reading one. This is a long time ago. They brought me the suit. They thought, ‘This might change your mind.’”
Unfortunately for the producers, it didn’t. “Anyway, I tried it on and I looked in the mirror and part of me initially was like, ‘Wow, this would be a [good thing],’ and then I just thought, ‘No, you can’t, you can’t do this. You can’t,’” he explained.
There was actually a script for the film, which JJ Abrams penned, but the movie was eventually cancelled, with Superman Returns emerging instead, much to Abrams’ disappointment. It seemed as though Law made the right decision in turning down the part, though, and he didn’t seem to struggle with landing any more high-profile roles in the future.
Clearly, superhero roles aren’t everything, and you don’t need to land a leading part in a franchise film like Superman to guarantee success. Law found it elsewhere, and he has no regrets about turning down the highly coveted part.
