Jude Law speeds through the Italian hills in a classic car for this charming short film that celebrates the joy of gratitude.
In the grand, oak-paneled drawing room of the picturesque Villa Mondragone in the rolling hills of Rome, Jude Law and I sit with our glass tumblers of Johnnie Walker Blue Label in hand. Utterly charming, softly spoken and endearingly down to earth, Jude is telling us about his dream road trip, “I went to Bolivia earlier in the year and I would like to go back and explore more… to drive north or south all the way though the countries of South America…Want to come with me?!” he adds, jokingly. I’m fresh out of the premiere of The Gentleman’s Wager II and I’m fully on board with a road trip. The short – a sequel to last year’s The Gentleman’s Wager – sees Jude star alongside director and actor Giancarlo Giannini in a beautifully shot promo film centred around a wager between – you guessed it – two gentleman. The prize? The stunning (and blue) Delahaye 135S classic racing car.
Clad in a fittingly blue suit, we follow Jude’s efforts to win the wager by racing the Delahaye through the scenic Italian hills to make it to Monaco by noon the next day. Along the way he faces a number of chance encounters and mishaps, including a damsel in distress and a serious car breakdown. Through the joy and gratitude he shares with people on his journey, Jude successfully makes it to the finish line. “I’m not a huge betting person,” Jude admits, “So in a way I’m living vicariously through this adventure with Giancarlo in the last two films.”
“I loved the fantasy of driving such a car” he adds. “The environment around Italy and hanging out on the race track… we were there five days before the Grand Prix, so we had the whole finishing line to ourselves, and driving down that straight in the car with all the bleachers on either side and the crash barriers… it was a dream. Fantastic fun!”
The film proves that a little gratitude goes a long way, (as does a good measure of Johnnie Walker) but how does Jude think it takes him further in his personal life? “The truth is that when you do things for others it’s a warmer personal feeling of well being.” Jude explains heart-warmingly. “Experiences, friends and family – when you have the perfect Sunday or perfect holiday I think it elevates your sense of well being… it’s the simple pleasures.”
Luckily for Jude, these simple pleasures – cars, whiskey, and charming relationships like his with Giancarlo and Chinese actress Zhao Wei (who gifts Jude a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label when he helps rescue her on a winding Italian country road) came in abundance working on this film. Just before Jude slips outside to the secret garden to take in the view over looking Italy’s capital there’s time for one serious question, what would Jude’s dream classic car be? “I’m a bit of a Rolls Royce fan… An early sixties Rolls Royce in chocolate brown” he answers swiftly. And with that he disappears into the late afternoon sun, glass tumbler of whiskey in hand.
“Jude Law stars in The Gentleman’s Wager II, the latest short film from Johnnie Walker Blue Label celebrating the belief that a little gratitude goes a long way. Watch the film here”