The Wizard of the Kremlin premieres at Venice Film Festival; Jude Law says, 'I went down a rabbit hole' for playing Vladimir Putin

The Wizard of the Kremlin in Venice film festival

Hollywood actor Jude Law has taken on one of his most challenging roles yet as he stepped into the shoes of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’s latest film, The Wizard of the Kremlin. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday in the prestigious Competition segment. Law’s uncanny resemblance to Putin has sent social media in a tizzy.

Adapted from Giuliano Da Empoli’s 2022 novel of the same name, the film is set in the early 1990s and traces the rise of Putin through the lens of a fictional filmmaker, Vadim Baranov (played by Paul Dano). Baranov, who transforms into Putin’s trusted spin doctor, explores the blurred lines between truth and propaganda, ultimately shaping a new Russia. Years later, retreating into silence, Baranov finally reveals the dark secrets of the regime he once helped construct.

At a press conference following the premiere, Jude Law revealed that preparing for the role pushed him into an intense deep dive. “There was a lot of footage one could watch. When I start going down that rabbit hole, it becomes obsessive; you're looking for more, newer material,” Law explained.

But portraying Putin came with a unique challenge. “The tricky side to me was that the public face we see gives very, very little away. There has been a term for him and that is ‘the man without a face’. There’s a mask. Understandably, Olivier would want me to portray this or that in a scene with a certain emotion, and I felt the conflict of trying to show very little,”* he said, as quoted by The Guardian.

For Law, embodying Putin was a process of discovery. “I knew very little about him, so he became a subject to learn more and more about. It's about the rebuilding of the sense of self, after a huge humiliation. That was key not just to the broader picture we were portraying,” he added.

The actor also noted that he had no fear about potential repercussions from playing such a controversial figure. “I felt confident in the hands of Olivier Assayas and the script. This was a story that was going to be told intelligently. We weren't looking for controversy for controversy's sake. It's a character within a much broader story—we weren't trying to define anything about anyone,” Law clarified.

Also Read: Blake Lively denies subpoenaing Megyn Kelly amid legal battle with Justin Baldoni

Alongside Law and Dano, the film features a stellar cast including Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, Will Keen, and Jeffrey Wright. With its Venice debut, The Wizard of the Kremlin positions itself as one of the festival’s most talked-about titles.

The Venice Film Festival concludes on September 6, 2025.