Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Lydia Spencer-Elliott

Jude Law shares his verdict on Netflix series Ripley

Getty

Your support helps us to tell the story

In my reporting on women's reproductive rights, I've witnessed the critical role that independent journalism plays in protecting freedoms and informing the public.

Your support allows us to keep these vital issues in the spotlight. Without your help, we wouldn't be able to fight for truth and justice.

Every contribution ensures that we can continue to report on the stories that impact lives

Kelly Rissman

Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

Jude Law has given his opinion on the Netflix series Ripley.

The eight-part show, based on the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, starring Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning, has been nominated for several awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, at the 2024 Emmys.

Law, 51, was the first actor to play Flynn’s character Dickie Greenleaf in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley film, which landed five Oscar nominations at the 2000 Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for The Holiday star.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at the Toronto International Film Festival, where two of his forthcoming films – The Order and Eden – premiered, Law heaped praise on Ripley director Steven Zaillian’s interpretation of the source text.

“Isn’t it interesting to see a really good bit of material viewed, creatively, from such different perspectives?” he said.

“I loved the series. I thought there was so much in it, but a completely different mood,” the actor added, commending the series’ “iciness” and “psychopathy”.

“You saw it almost through Tom’s eyes really, the world, and then [film director] Anthony [Minghella]’s world, which is romance and love and escapism and colour. Interesting,” he said.

Jude Law and Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in ‘Ripley’
Jude Law and Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in ‘Ripley’ (Getty Images and Netflix)

Law has previously praised Ripley, saying in an interview upon the series’ release in April that Zaillian’s adaptation was “interesting” as it’s “very different stylistically” to the 1999 film he starred in alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon.

“Both versions reflect the director in many ways,” the Sherlock Holmes star said.

“One is visual, colourful, and romantic. The other is quite forensic and more sinister. Film, to me, often reflects the person at the helm of the camera.”

Scott in ‘Ripley’
Scott in ‘Ripley’ (Philippe Antonello/Netflix)

Zaillian’s choice to film Ripley in black and white left Netflix users divided, with some complaining that they “didn’t last the first episode” because “the cinematography is so annoying”.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Law admitted that although he hasn’t watched his version “in many, many years”, screening the new one brought “so many memories in my mind”.

“I kept thinking, ‘Oh God, I remember this.’ Down to the name of Dickie’s maid, Ermelinda. I always remember saying, ‘Ermelinda, Ermelinda.’ There was an emotional level, too, to revisiting those characters,” he explained.

Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’
Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ (Rex Features)

In a recent interview with The Times, Law revealed he almost turned down the role of Dickie in The Talented Mr. Ripley over fears of being typecast.

“It was delusion and madness,” he said. “There was a panic in my head that I was going to be typecast as this good-looking guy.

“That’s where my 23-year-old brain was, yes,” the actor continued. “What I missed, idiotically, were the complexities of that role, but honestly? I just wanted to be taken seriously. ‘I do theatre!’ It was as simple as that.

“Now I’d say to myself, ‘Don’t give yourself a hard time.’"

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.