Jude Law, 51, says he was 'frustrated' by the way he was objectified at the start of his career - as he insists 'people would have been told off' if he were a woman

Jude Law has revealed he was 'frustrated' by the way he was objectified during his early career.

The actor, 51, first rose to fame as a Hollywood heartthrob, with roles in films including The Talented Mr Ripley, Alfie, and festive romcom The Holiday.

But in an interview with Variety, Jude shared that when he was cast as the attractive playboy Dickie in The Talented Mr Ripley, he feared that he wouldn't be taken seriously in Hollywood.

Reflecting on his role in the film, Jude added that there were double standards when it came to the way he was objectified, noting it would have caused outrage if he was a woman.

He said: 'Interestingly, I was talking about this to a friend, he made a good point. He said: ‘If you were a woman, people would have been told off for objectifying you.’”

'I think it frustrated me because I was this young guy desperately keen to have an acting career and for people to talk about that, as opposed to what I looked like.'

One such example of objectification came when Jude was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in 2004.

The presenter asked him: 'I know you hear all the time just how handsome you are.”

'When men go get their lips redone, to plastic surgeons, your lips are the most requested lips. Did you know that?'

Jude appeared visibly stunned by the revelation, replying: 'It’s kind of staggering that men go and get their lips redone, isn’t it?'

Ellen then asked the cameraman to zoom in Jude's lips, with the star struggling to contain his laughter. 

During the interview, Jude also revealed he's 'moved on' from the time in his life when he was engaged to Sienna Miller.

Jude and Sienna split in 2006 after his affair with his children's nanny Daisy Wright came to public knowledge in 2005, and the actress said in 2020 that she found the scandal 'really hard'.

Speaking about the time he and Sienna were engaged, Jude said: 'That time is now over, and I've moved on from it. And so has, fortunately, the attention of the photographers and the prying eyes on me. 

'But I’ve had to learn to live in a certain way that keeps them at bay. And I have to handle my kids’ and my partner’s privacy in the same way.'

Jude is set to star in the upcoming action film The Order, which will be released on Prime Video in December.

The thriller premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August and will be available to watch on Prime Video

Jude's performance as the agent who goes up against real-life white supremacist group The Order, received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Festival.

He said of his character: 'There was a sort of lived-in ­quality to him that I enjoyed. 

'There was a lot of discussion about facial hair, but every agent I interviewed had a moustache, so it was just a given that I had to grow one.' 

Also starring are Alison Oliver, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, and Nicholas Hoult.

Nicholas plays The Order leader Bob Mathews, an American neo-Nazi who led the white supremacist group in 1983. 

Nicholas revealed that the film's director ­Justin Kurzel gave each actor a 'manifesto' for their character, including tasks for them to complete.

'I just found out on the boat here – one of Jude's tasks was to follow me for a day!' he said. 

'He was ­trailing me for a day when I landed in Calgary.' 

At The Order's Venice Film Festival press conference, Jude spoke about the importance of the film at a time when far-right ideologies are rising again.

'Sadly, the relevance speaks for itself,' he said. 'It felt like a piece of work that needed to be made now. It’s always interesting finding a piece from the past that has some relevant relationship to the present day.'