While the Covid-19 pandemic might have taken most of us by surprise, one person who certainly wasn't shocked was Jude Law. You might remember the actor starred in the scary 2011 pandemic thriller Contagion, which starred Gwyneth Paltrow as Patient Zero. Speaking now, nine years later in a career overview with GQ, Jude said scientists on set warned him that a similar pandemic was 'inevitable'.
'There was absolutely the sense that this was going to happen,' Jude said, speaking to GQ. 'The great scientists on set with us who had worked with Scott [Z. Burns] the writer and [director] Steven [Soderbergh] were very learned and experienced individuals who knew what to expect. And they all said to us that this was going to happen — and it was a case of when rather than if.'
The actor, who played conspiracy theorist Alan Krumwiede in the film, continued: 'The way they described it, which is exactly as it has happened, just made sense. What's scary is you learn in a set like that because you're being advised by experts, but it doesn't necessarily sit.'
No wonder, then, that Jude was worried when he first heard about coronavirus in China. 'When 2020 started, and we heard about what was initially happening in China, what fast became apparent around the world, it rang alarm bells,' he said. 'Unfortunately, I wasn't hugely surprised.'
At the time, the film made $136.5 million - Contagion was praised by critics for its several interacting plot lines, and it was praised by scientists for its accuracy. The film started to chart again this year after many countries declared states of emergencies.
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