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Blood, sweat and poo: Law wore 'awful' bespoke scent for his role as Henry VIII
The Guardian
|May 23, 2023
Jude Law doused himself in a specially brewed scent blended from "blood, fecal matter and sweat" to play Henry VIII in Firebrand, an acclaimed period drama that premiered at the Cannes film festival.
"I read several interesting accounts that you could smell Henry three rooms away," said Law at a press conference in Cannes yesterday. "His leg was rotting so badly. He hid it with rose oil. I thought it would have a great impact if I smelt awful."
A specialist perfumier was enlisted to make a custom brew, Law said. "She makes wonderful scents, and she also makes awful scents. She somehow came up with this extraordinary variety of blood, fecal matter and sweat.
"Initially, I used it very subtly. But then it became a spray fest."
This story is from the May 23, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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