Jude Law before the festival

Jude Law was photographed in London on Wednesday after a meeting and it’s been a while since Jude was on the contact sheets, though it used to be a regular occurrence. But we might be seeing a lot more of Jude in the coming weeks and months because he’ll be promoting his role in the upcoming film The Wizard of the Kremlin in which he plays…Vladimir Putin. 

Directed by Olivier Assayas with Paul Dano in the lead role, The Wizard of the Kremlin will have its world premiere in competition in Venice. Given the cast, which also includes Alicia Vikander and Jeffrey Wright, and the subject matter, there are some who are calling this film 2025’s answer to The Apprentice, about Donald Trump and Roy Cohn. 

Per Variety: 

“The story opens in Russia, in the early 1990’s, in the aftermath of the USSR’s collapse. In a new world that promises freedom and flirts with chaos, a young artist-turned-TV producer, Vadim Baranov, unexpectedly becomes the spin doctor of a promising member of the FSB (ex-KGB), Vladimir Putin.

“Working at the heart of Russian power, Baranov blurs truth with lies, the news with propaganda, directing the entire society like one great reality show. Only his love for the magnetic, free-minded Ksenia can turn him away from this dangerous game,” reads the synopsis. ‘‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’’ sets out to tell Baranov’s story, and through his eyes, tell the dark secrets of the regime he helped build.”

If we’re running with the comparison, Baranov (Paul Dano) is the Roy Cohn here and of course Jude as Putin would be the Trump. Not sure how audiences will stomach this adaptation (based on Giuliano da Empoli’s book) but it’ll be interesting to see how Jude, like Sebastian Stan, approaches playing a person who many consider to be the most terrifying villain of our time. Check him out, looming in the portrait behind Paul Dano. I thought that was actually Putin at first. 

Let’s talk about Jude’s outfit in these new pap shots because it’s sort of related to Putin. Jude is consistent with his clothing – he was doing the tank top under a cardigan long before it became a trend. The man loves a look that exposes his chest hair. My occupational hazard is that I might be too familiar with his chest hair because I’ve looked at and posted so many pictures of him. My human hazard is that I’m too familiar with Vladimir Putin’s chest, because he loves being photographed with his shirt off riding a bear, or whatever. 

Putin, though, is not hairy chested. As a commitment to character, did Jude shave his chest? Can someone please ask this at the junket?