Jude Law caused quite a stink on the set of his upcoming film Firebrand by wearing a custom poop-scented perfume to recreate Henry VIII’s supposed stench.
“I read several interesting accounts that you could smell Henry three rooms away. His leg was rotting so badly,” Law said during a press conference for the movie at Cannes Film Festival (via Variety). “He hid it with rose oil. I thought it would have a great impact if I smelt awful.”
For the sake of authenticity, Law sought out a perfume specialist and tried to reproduce the former King of England’s odor, which partially emanated from the leg ulcers he suffered in his final years. “She makes wonderful scents, and she also makes awful scents. She somehow came up with this extraordinary variety of blood, fecal matter, and sweat.”
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Though Law initially “used it very subtly,” he eventually went overboard, and “it became a spray-fest.” The film’s director Karim Aïnouz confirmed how awful it smelled, saying it was “just horrible” when Law walked on set.
Firebrand is based on Elizabeth Fremantle’s 2013 novel Queen’s Gambit. Alicia Vikander stars opposite Law as Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. The film debuted at Cannes on Sunday to an eight-minute standing ovation.
Law also went method while recently playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Wendy by never breaking character during filming and acting “really scary and mean” toward the child actors. To make up for it, he rented out an ice cream van once the production was over and drove it on set.
