Ahead Of 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', Here Are The Top 5 Jude Law Films

Star Wars

Dec 1

Finally, the drought of new Star Wars shows is coming to an end on Disney Plus with the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew set to premiere next week. While much emphasis has been placed on the young cast, one of the first actors to sign on was Jude Law.

As Jude Law and Ewan McGregor, who portrays the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise, have been close friends for many years, it is nice that Law is following McGregor into the SWU. Law is no stranger to Disney, having appeared in 2023’s Peter Pan & Wendy. Here, we will take a look at the top five films Jude Law has starred in during his over 30-year acting career.

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5. Captain Marvel (2019) as Yon-Rogg

This movie made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and earned Jude Law a nomination for the Fox Teen Choice Awards. Yon-Rogg is the leader of Starforce and Captain Marvel’s / Carol Danvers’s mentor, but in a bizarre way: after an explosion, Carol Danvers absorbs the power of the Tesseract, so Yon-Rogg wipes her memory and trains her to help the Kree Empire.

He teaches her how to use her new powers as Captain Marvel, but this causes issues between him and the other members of Starforce. Law describes his role as "driven by a belief in the divine leadership of the Kree people. So he's almost a devout warrior—unquestioning, conservative, but inspirational." As in the Star Wars universe where Law has his friend Ewan McGregor, Law had also starred alongside Robert Downey, Jr., who plays Tony Stark, in the Sherlock Holmes movies, so he had a relationship with his co-star who mentored him upon entering this franchise.

4. The Holiday (2006) as Graham

Although this feature didn’t get any formal accolades, it is considered to be a top-notch rom-com by those who have seen it; and besides, who doesn’t like to catch this holiday favorite at this time of year? Jude Law plays Graham, brother of Iris (played by Kate Winslet) who has decided to house swap for the holidays with Amanda (played by Cameron Diaz). It’s not just a house swap, it’s a country swap as well: Amanda is American, living in Los Angeles, and Iris is English, who has a cottage in Surrey.

They are both coming off of sad endings to their relationships and need a change of scenery. The usual city mouse / country mouse motif is used as the ladies get used to their new surroundings, and part of their new environments are new men. Since this is a light and happy film, we already know the ending, but Jude Law rocks his role out, showing real chemistry with Cameron Diaz.

3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) as Gigolo Joe

I remember bawling like a baby at the end of this movie when I saw it in the theater with my sister, and now, I feel vindicated as I read through reviews calling this one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies. A.I. is set in the future and stars Haley Joel Osment as David, a robot who is capable of love and spends most of the film trying to have his adopted human mother love him back.

He thinks he can do this by becoming human, and sets off in search of the Blue Fairy, a la Pinocchio, with his trusty teddy bear. Along the way, he makes the acquaintance of Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law, who helps David get out of dangerous situations on his journey. To prepare for this role, Law studied the way Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley conducted themselves in their movies, and learned ballet. His efforts got him nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the Golden Globe Awards and the Chicago Film Critics Association.

2. Cold Mountain (2003) as W.P. Inman

Two years earlier, Jude Law starred in Enemy at the Gates, a World War II drama, depicting him as a real-life Soviet sniper who was the symbol of hope during the German siege of Stalingrad and based on a 1973 nonfiction book. 2003 found Law in another historical drama, Cold Mountain, this time set in the American Civil War and based on a novel.

Whereas both films were noted for their accuracy and Law was acclaimed in both, it was Cold Mountain that got him nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, British Academy Film Awards, and the Golden Globe Awards. In Cold Mountain, Law plays W.P. Inman, who, at the beginning of the war, is an enthusiastic volunteer, but as he trudges through battle after battle, he realizes what is truly important to him: the woman waiting for him to come home.

After coming close to death from a battle injury, Inman leaves the army and makes the arduous trek to go home to Cold Mountain. Even though he has been injured, he is still considered to have deserted the Confederate Army, which makes his journey all the more dangerous. I remember the soundtrack and scenery; it really is a beautiful film.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) as Dickie Greenleaf

This very acclaimed psychological thriller made critics and audiences realize that Jude Law was a serious actor. Teamed with Matt Damon, Law plays Dickie Greenleaf, an American playboy escaping responsibility in Italy and living the high life. When Matt Damon’s character, Tom Ripley, goes on the behest of Dickie’s father to retrieve and bring Dickie back to the States to join the family business, the plot goes on a few twists and turns, based on the 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith.

For this role, Law gained thirty pounds and learned how to play the saxophone. He also earned several Best Supporting Actor nominations, including the Satellite Awards, the Academy Awards, the Empire Awards, and he won the BAFTA award in this category.

So, as we enjoy Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, we can truly appreciate the talent that Jude Law lends, and the mentorship that he must provide his younger cast mates.

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