Jude Law earned 'brownie points' with his kids for Dumbledore role

In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the second movie in the new fantasy franchise set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, Jude Law steps into the shoes of Richard Harris and Michael Gambon to play the younger version of the beloved character Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts.

The father of five has read all the Potter books to his children.

The 45-year-old English actor said: "I have achieved some brownie points for this role because the books and the films were a big part of our household.

"We would go on holidays where we would listen to Stephen Fry reading (the audiobooks) to us. So for me to now be a part of it is an exciting thing."

In the sequel that opens here tomorrow, dark wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) escapes custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans, Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.

Law, who accepted the part without reading the script, said he did two things to prepare.

"We knew it was key to separate this Dumbledore from the one we've all known. He is decades younger and still has a lot to experience and learn. It was important to remind ourselves that while he is a gifted wizard and a good man, he is also a troubled man. He has secrets and flaws, just as we all do."

The other thing was to have long talks with author J. K. Rowling, creator of this universe and screenwriter of the movies.

Rowling said Law "knows the burden Dumbledore is carrying, because without the knowledge, he would be portraying someone who appears to be playing games with people's lives, and that is not who Dumbledore is".

That meant she had to entrust Law with Dumbledore's secrets.

Now in his mid-40s, Law's messy love life - after divorcing wife Sadie Frost in 2003, he got engaged to English actress Sienna Miller, during which he had an affair with his children's nanny - and run-ins with the paparazzi are behind him. Fatherhood had a lot to do with it.

He has three children aged 22, 18 and 16 with English actress Frost, a nine-year-old daughter with US model Samantha Burke, and a three-year-old daughter with another ex-girlfriend Catherine Harding.

Law said: "I was realising that it just so happened at the time that my career took off, I became a dad. I was about 24, 25.

"And (the children) always provided for me an anchor, a sense of reality, as you can't lose your head with your children because they just want you to be their dad.

"They have kept me in check, they have kept me real, and obviously they have filled me with love. So I owe them a lot. And hopefully they owe me a lot," he added with a laugh.

Life is a journey from one end to the other, and if you go straight there, it is short and boring, but if you go up and down, it is more varied and interesting. Jude Law on a word of wisdom from his mother

Said Law: "Life is about learning lessons, about looking and not repeating, absorbing and steering yourself wisely into happier, more serene territory.

"I don't regret or want to change anything, because each twist and turn and up and down has led me to where I am now, and I am in a really good place.

"I remember my mum telling me that life is a journey from one end to the other, and if you go straight there, it is short and boring, but if you go up and down, it is more varied and interesting."

Law's career is thriving too. His TV series The Young Pope has been renewed for another season, and he will be appearing in next year's superhero blockbuster Captain Marvel.

Brie Larson plays the title character and Law is Mar-Vell, her mentor and commander in military team Starforce.

Not surprisingly, he is a fan of such movies.

He said: "I think they have really evolved their sense of humour and created an interesting equation where they bring in young talent and directors who have a particular sort of style or humour or shtick, to refresh them.

"I was excited to work with Brie Larson and was particularly excited to see her in the lead and support that process. And yeah, I guess I got to an age where I was curious and want to stick my nose into franchises."

He added: "I am sort of settling into my skin comfortably and enjoying and relishing being 45. Acting is a funny business. Your 20s are a real minefield, and I am speaking from a male point of view. The 30s are, 'My gosh, am I going to survive?'

"And you get to your 40s and you realise the parts have a little more meat and texture, and you are not expected to suddenly be the golden boy or the beautiful young thing.

"I am feeling more comfortable in my mid-40s than I was over the last 10 or so years."

The writer is the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a non-profit organisation of entertainment journalists that also organises the annual Golden Globe Awards.