Jude Law Jokes About Being 'Saggy and Balding' at 51

Next, Law will portray an aging Henry VIII in the historical drama "Firebrand."

There's no disputing the fact that Jude Law is and always has been very handsome. However, time slows for no man, and looking back at his decades-spanning career, the 51-year-old actor now has minor regrets about not making the most of his youthful good looks.

And while Law has certainly played plenty of leading man roles that required him to be handsome—his 1999 breakout The Talented Mr. Ripley, 2004's Alfie, and the 2006 ensemble romcom The Holiday, to name a few—he told DuJour magazine in an interview published this week that he wishes he would have leaned into that energy more when he was young.

"I didn’t feel like I really ever leaned into playing handsome, but there were roles that required an attractive energy," Law admitted. "I was trying to play against my looks in my early 20s, and now that I’m saggy and balding, I wish I had played it up."

Be that as it may, Law admits that it's been "satisfying not having to turn that switch on" when it comes to roles that "have not leaned in to any sort of attraction."

Case in point, in Law's newest film, the historical drama Firebrand, which premiered at Cannes last month and is being theatrically released in the United States on Friday, he portrays Henry VIII during the final years of his reign. For the role, he had to wear a weighted costume and gray scruffy beard. He also worked with historians to come up with a fragrance to emulate the stench of "blood, fecal matter, and sweat" emitting from the late king of England's rotting leg, which he wore throughout the shoot.

"It took so much time every morning to get into this huge, weighted costume and I would stay in it for the rest of the day," Law explained. "You could rehearse in jeans and a T-shirt, but then you would turn up in this enormous outfit and realize you’re going to knock everyone over. So you might as well maintain that sense of Henry’s shape and size."

Another plus is that he likely didn't have to get in any kind of particular shape for the film, although it sounds like the costume in itself was quite the workout.