Jude Law tackles Putin role without fear

Jude Law said on Sunday he did not fear reprisals for playing Russian President Vladimir Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin, a new film premiering at the Venice Film Festival that offers a chilling, fictionalized look at Mr. Putin's rise to power.

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The Wizard of the Kremlin, directed by France's Olivier Assayas and also starring Paul Dano, shows Mr. Putin ruthlessly disposing of people who cross his path.

Asked by reporters if he was worried about possible retaliation for taking on the role, Mr. Law said: "I hope not naively, but... I didn't fear repercussions."

The British actor added that the film recounted Mr. Putin's singleminded ascendancy "with nuance and consideration. We weren't looking for controversy for controversy's sake."

Based on a bestselling novel by Giuliano da Empoli, the movie imagines the life of Vadim Baranov, a shadowy Kremlin insider who rises from artist to television producer before becoming a spin doctor to a young Mr. Putin.