Emmys 2017: 15 movie stars who stole the small screen this year
Jude Law in The Young Pope.
8. Jude Law
The project: HBO’s The Young Pope
The character: Lenny Belardo a.k.a. Pope Pius XIII. Despite being young, hot and American, Lenny is a conservative, traditional force to be reckoned with. When he is elected into his position, he makes clear that the Catholic Church is an exclusive club that will only welcome the most obedient and, well, pious believers.
How he stole the small screen: Lenny is a tyrannical jerk, but you can’t take your eyes off him. That’s fortunate because if a less capable actor than Law was at the helm we wouldn’t be able to stomach The Young Pope long enough to see that Lenny is willing and able to cut others some slack once in awhile.
“Whilst he was contradictory, he was never a liar. There was always an element of truth — he had conviction, even if he changed his mind, or seemed to contradict himself,” Law described Lenny in an interview with Deadline. Referencing Pope Pius XIII’s evolving perspective on homosexuality, especially in regards to the character Cardinal Gutierrez, Law added: “Given the climate that we were making it in, and given the world we live in, I think it’s really important to show that people with an open mind can learn to open their hearts, too.”
His past TV experience: The beginning of Law’s career featured quite a few TV movies and series arcs, but it looks like The Young Pope is his first major small screen turn. The Sherlock Holmes actor’s more recent TV gigs include the 2010 TV movie The Vote and series Toast of London. Law played a version of himself in the latter. Next, Law will voice the character Charles in the upcoming animated Netflix series Neo Yokio.
Awards recognition: No Emmy attention this year. However, Law’s Young Pope performance landed an Outstanding Actor in a Drama TV Series award nomination at this year’s Monte-Carlo TV Festival. Plus, Law and Young Pope creator Paolo Sorrentino shared the Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award win at the 2016 Venice Film Festival.