He most recently appeared as young Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts films. Now he jumps into the galaxy far, far away and hangs out in the darkest corners of the Star Wars universe. In Skeleton Crew, Jude Law plays the mysterious Force user Jod Na Nawood, who accompanies four lost children on a search for their home planet. However, they cannot trust him.
Between The Goonies and ET, Skeleton Crew tells a space adventure in which Law is the great unknown variable. With each encounter, Jod Na Nawood receives a new name and a new backstory. In other words: the role was tailor-made for Law. In the past he has brilliantly brought a lot of shady characters to life.
The comparison to AI – artificial intelligence is particularly obvious. In the science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, Law accompanies a lonely robot boy on an eventful odyssey. A lot of this is reflected in Skeleton Crew. There’s also a fun pirate touch that moves Jod Na Nawood towards Captain Hook, whom Law previously unleashed in Peter Pan & Wendy.
We spoke to Jude Law about this and more in an interview.
Moviepilot: A year ago you told Jimmy Kimmel that you had never been as “starstruck” as the moment you saw a Jawa on the set of Skeleton Crew. What fascinates you so much about them?
Jude Law: I don’t think it’s anything special. For me it was more about remembering the first time as a child [Krieg der Sterne] have seen. The Jawas were mysteriously creepy and cute at the same time. They were strange, like so many other creatures in the film. I was very fascinated by it at the time. When I saw her on my first day of filming in the Starport, I was immediately transported back to that time and suddenly I realized: Okay, this is really happening. I am part of this universe.
So your Star Wars journey started directly with Star Wars?
Yes, I am one of the first generations to see Star Wars. I went to the cinema as a little boy, I think I was about five or six years old.
Was that something that accompanied you later as an actor? George Lucas may have started casting for the prequels right around the time you were playing your first breakout roles.
To be honest, I’ve never looked at it from that perspective. As an actor, I was initially just happy if I even got a job. It didn’t even occur to me that that was a possibility. It was only through my friendship with Ewan McGregor that Star Wars became a topic again. When Ewan landed the role of Obi-Wan in the prequels, we were very excited to hear what he would say about making the films. But the idea of taking that leap myself didn’t cross my mind. And then it suddenly became plausible.
Did you get any advice from Ewan before Skeleton Crew?
No, I don’t have that. We used to talk about it a lot, but now we’ve gone in different directions. He lives in the USA, I live in London. We both have our own families. Our 20s are over.
In Skeleton Crew you play as the pirate Jod Na Nawood. It almost sounds like it was a smooth transition from Captain Hook, who you recently played in Peter Pan & Wendy.
There are a few similarities, but in the end they are quite different. Captain Hook is a thoroughly evil man. He is a murderer and shows no mercy. He is also very organized. Jod, on the other hand, has an unpredictable character and makes his way as a loner. I think at the end of the day he has a good heart, even if he thinks about himself first.
Were there other characters from whom you drew inspiration?
Not really. I would most likely say Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, whose vibe I adopted, especially the cynical worldview. But I try to create a new, original character with every role I take on.
I imagine this is pretty tricky, especially in the Star Wars universe, where there are already so many iconic characters, from Luke to Anakin to Rey.
Luckily for me [die Serienschöpfer] Jon Watts and Christopher Ford were given a lot of opportunities to try different things. I hope I was able to create something original from it.
What exactly did they give you?
For example, that for some people iodine is a different person and has different names. That he keeps changing the story of who he is, what he has experienced and what motivates him, depending on who he is meeting. This also affects the mood of the series. Sometimes he shows his humorous side, sometimes his threatening side. And he cleverly plays with the question of heroism.
He would fit perfectly into Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, as often as his story changes. One minute he was Jod Na Nawood, suddenly everyone calls him Crimson Jack and then he’s called Captain Silvo.
Yes, that’s basically the core of the character’s development. First, I tried to figure out for myself exactly who he is to which people and what each of these stories means. This gradually creates a multi-layered figure.
Design also plays an important role when creating a Star Wars figure. Helmets, costumes, weapons – did you have a say?
Yes, actually quite a big one. I wanted Jod to look very pragmatic. That’s why I cut my hair. He doesn’t care about his appearance. Rather, he is a hard-working person who has something rough about him. His outfits change because he sometimes loses an article of clothing and rather shamelessly just grabs another. The final look, as you see it now in the series, is the result of a long process in which many others contributed.
I’m still surprised that you were able to decide so much.
You can always bring in your wishes and suggestions, but of course there are also some very clear and specific rules that must not be broken.
What should you definitely not do?
I remember trying on a particular coat that I liked, and Lucasfilm was like, “Hm, we’re not sure that really looks like Star Wars.” Then we had to look for something else.
You said something earlier that I would like to take up again. There’s something cynical about your character. But she appears in an adventure that we experience through children’s eyes. How does Jod’s serene attitude fit with the curiosity and innocence that lurks in the series?
I would say that this friction is what makes the series interesting. I play a character who treats children as if they were adults. Jod has no idea about her needs, her immaturity and her innocence. This dynamic creates a lot of tension, but also a lot of humor.
How did you approach the child actors on set?
I was deeply impressed by how well prepared they were. They knew exactly what they had to do. Very professional. And yet it was clear at every second that they were children. They had so much fun filming and fooling around. This energy was really contagious and made everything a bit more playful.
As an actor, you have many years of experience. Is there anything you were able to learn from your young co-stars anyway?
That they embraced that playfulness so much. This was a beautiful reminder that these worlds we create are created by, and at the same time fueled by, our imagination. And that you can just play in this world, even if you’re shooting a dramatic scene. In principle, this is a good basic setting.
Speaking of this world: As someone who has experienced Star Wars from the beginning, what is your favorite film?
Oh, that’s hard. I can never decide between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars had a huge influence on me back then and changed cinema forever. But The Empire Strikes Back is the better film.
What does Ewan say about you completely leaving out the prequels?
[Lacht] You have to ask him that.
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Skeleton Crew has been running since then December 3, 2024 on Disney+. The first season consists of eight episodes. The first two chapters were published straight away.