Venice, 31 August (LaPresse) – ‘Afraid of Putin? I certainly didn't think about repercussions, I put myself in the hands of Olivier Assayas (the director) to portray a character within a much bigger story without controversy.’ So said actor Jude Law during the press conference for the film “The Kremlin Wizard”, in competition at the Venice Film Festival, in which he plays Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. ‘The most difficult thing was to portray his public face, which reveals nothing, but still show emotions. For me, it was all a revelation because I knew very little about him. I had to adopt an internal acting style,’ he added. ‘The film is about modern politics and how evil came to power and how we ended up in a dangerous situation, as in the specific case of Putin. But it can also be applied to other world leaders. What is happening now is really scary because we still haven't found any answers,’ the actor said. Whether this film led him to reflect on power and success. ‘I don't know if I have a definitive answer to that question, but it did make me think about what power is. But I think it's something amorphous,’ he said. ‘Olivier and I discussed that we shouldn't personify Putin, and I didn't want to hide behind a mask. We had many references from that period of his life, and we tried to find similar traits in myself,’ he added. When asked if there is a positive aspect to this character, Law admitted ironically: ‘Yes, I learned judo. But I don't think we should necessarily look for a positive element in characters. If we were to label them only as villains, I think it would be harmful.’