Two-time Oscar-nominated actor Jude Law chatted about starring in “Black Rabbit,” which will premiere on September 18th on Netflix. He plays the role of Jake and serves as an executive producer.
The synopsis is: Set against the backdrop of New York City’s high-pressure nightlife scene, “Black Rabbit” centers around two brothers who learn just how far family, and the pursuit of success, can push them to the edge.
Jake Friedkin (Jude Law) is the charismatic owner of The Black Rabbit, a restaurant and VIP lounge, poised to become the hottest spot in New York.
When his brother, Vince (Jason Bateman), returns to the business unexpectedly, trouble soon follows; opening the door to old traumas and new dangers that threaten to bring down everything they’ve built.
‘Black Rabbit’
Law was drawn to this series for a number of reasons. “The inspiration for this story really came from a couple of restaurants in New York in the ’90s,” he said.
“I knew the restaurants, and I frequented them. I went to them and knew the folks who ran them. I loved the idea of re-creating that,” he noted. “The behind-the-scenes hustle and bustle of everyday performance that occurs in restaurants and bars such as these.”
“The facade that some of the folks that have fronted these establishments have in comparison to what’s going on behind the scenes, juggling the financial and emotional,” he said.
“I just thought that that was a really, really rich and fertile place for story. And then also the backstory of the brothers being in a band in the ’90s. That was a time I was actually in New York a lot and it was a music scene that I was really into,” he explained.
“In the show, there’s a guy who, like me, has turned 50 and still feels vital but is also at an age where they’re looking back on their life trying to learn from mistakes, to try to live the life you really wanted to live,” he elaborated.
Themes in ‘Black Rabbit’
“There are some very strong themes in ‘Black Rabbit’,” he said. “Living and misbehaving in a workplace. What’s right and what’s wrong? How do you treat your staff? What is acceptable now? What is no longer acceptable? There’s so much material that Zach and Kate hinted at as they pitched it that has all come to fruition.”
Filming in New York City
On shooting in New York City, Law said, “I suppose the only way to ensure an authentic New York atmosphere is to shoot on the streets of New York. People can assume they know New York but if you’ve lived here or you grew up here, you have an insight into a very particular way of life.”
“It’s a city that keeps evolving and yet it sits very firmly in its roots,” he said. “It has an exhaustive but inspiring kind of energy that you need to embrace as a film crew.”
“You can’t really re-create it, you have to kind of go there and hold your breath and jump in and use it as a character. That’s a big cliché: ‘It’s a character in the film.’ But it really is a character in our drama,” he elaborated.
Law on playing Jake
On playing his character, Jake, he said, “Throughout the process, I worked closely with Zach and Kate on the evolution of my character and his relationship to his brother. I play a man called Jake Friedken. He grew up in Coney Island. He’s the son of a barman and younger brother to Vince.”
“In his 20s, he was in a band with his brother and had some semi success. The band implodes. He kind of drifts, I imagine, for 10 or so years. His brother takes him under his wing again and they decide to become restaurateurs,” he said.
“They open this bar that becomes very successful. The brother is, for various reasons, forced out. When you meet Jake, he has sort of turned his life around. The restaurant has become highly successful,” he noted.
“He has put aside his juvenile behavior and really taken the reins of the place and made it a success, and made himself a success — or so it seems,” he added.
Working with Jason Bateman as a co-lead star and director
On working with Jason Bateman, he said, “It has been a great experience all around. It’s been a wonderful brotherhood collaboration from the beginning.”
“As a director, he sees shots and storytelling in a way that I just have never been able to do. He reads camera positions and passes through scenes knowing how to shoot something,” he said.
“Sometimes it was one shot, simplifying the storytelling with incredible accuracy and grace. And as a partner, you gotta be on your toes. He thinks super fast. He has brilliant ideas and changes everything every take.
“Jason the director, and Jason the actor are one and the same. They are very nimble and generous and creative, and they love a happy team,” he added.
Working with Laura Linney as a director
On working with Laura Linney as a director, he said, “It was a joy. I worked with Laura as an actor several years ago [in 2016’s Genius]. I love her as an actor, and I love her as a person. And I was so excited that she agreed to do this.”
“She took on Episodes 3 and 4 and brought her meticulous understanding of script work, of character work, and her great heart,” he said. “Episodes 3 and 4 are episodes where you have to understand who these people are without slowing it down.”
“You have to go deeper, and Laura was perfect for that. She understood the drama, and she’s just such a wonderful person to be around,” he added.
Law on singing on the show and working with Albert Hammond Jr. on the music
On singing in the show and working with Albert Hammond Jr., Law said, “Albert worked miracles. He actually made me sound like I could sing, so all I can do is thank him. I was told early on in my career, if you’re asked to suggest ideas for something, start at the top.”
“Albert was at the top of the list, and we couldn’t believe he said ‘yes.’ He’s become a very important part of our story,” Law said.
“Albert just got it and was so generous in the recording studio, putting up with me screaming away and trying to sound like a rock star,” he added.
Closing thoughts on ‘Black Rabbit’
“Something that was always interesting to me and important to the heart of the piece was the journey that Jake and Vince go on and the revelation that they come to by the end. Their age is key,” he said.
“They’ve had this flash of success in their 20s,” he said. “We find them in their 50s. They’re tasting success but in truth, they’re running on empty. They’re running on the past.”
“It’s about reckoning. It’s about realizing when you evaluate your life whether you’re living someone else’s dream or your own dream,” he noted.
“Have you lost sight of your own dreams and taken on someone else’s? What are you doing this for? And that, you could argue, is a huge lesson for us all. I think that’s the essence of Jake’s journey, certainly,” he elaborated.
“It’s a really interesting and honest slice, I think, of a certain New York establishment, and therefore a slice of life of many New Yorkers within that,” he acknowledged.
“At the heart, I hope [audiences] are hooked by the complicated, loving, volatile relationship of these two brothers. As a producer, it’s exciting to bring these complex stories to life,” Law concluded.
For more information on the show “Black Rabbit,” visit its Netflix homepage.
