Jude Law plays Russian leader Vladimir Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin, but he wasn’t trying to spark controversy with his performance.

“I didn’t fear repercussions. I felt confident, in the hands of [director] Olivier [Assayas] and the script, that this story was going to be told intelligently and with nuance and consideration,” Law, 52, said during a press conference ahead of the film’s Sunday, August 31, premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, per Variety. “We weren’t looking for controversy for controversy’s sake.”

He continued, “It’s a character in a broader story. We weren’t trying to define anything about anyone.”

The Wizard of the Kremlin, adapted from Giuliano da Empoli’s 2022 book of the same name, charts a fictional account of Putin’s rise to power. (In real li

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