Jude Law made himself 'smell awful' to portray Henry VIII in Firebrand

Jude Law has revealed that he wore a putrid scent of "blood, faecal matter and sweat" while playing Henry VIII in Firebrand.

During the movie's press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, the Fantastic Beasts actor revealed that to portray the bad-smelling king, he made himself "smell awful".

"I read several interesting accounts that you could smell Henry three rooms away. His leg was rotting so badly. He hid it with rose oil," the English actor said, reports Variety. "I thought it would have a great impact if I smelt awful."

Law, 50, went to a perfume specialist to create the awful-smelling blend that captured the scent of the King of England, who suffered from chronic leg ulcers, among other ailments.

"She makes wonderful scents, and she also makes awful scents. She somehow came up with this extraordinary variety of blood, faecal matter and sweat," he shared.

Firebrand's director Karim Aïnouz recalled working on set with the committed actor while he was using the off-putting scent and stated, "It was just horrible."

The historical thriller stars Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth and final wife.

According to Variety, Firebrand received an eight-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the festival on Sunday, and Vikander had to cut the applause short so that she wouldn't cry.