Jude Law thrilled to finally be invited to the Marvel party

More than 20 years after breaking into Hollywood, Jude Law is thrilled to finally be invited to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) party.

In the superhero hit Captain Marvel, which is showing here, he plays Yon-Rogg, the commander of Starforce, an elite special forces division of the Kree army, and mentor to Carol Danvers (Brie Larson).

While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, she finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the centre of the maelstrom.

The Englishman, 46, said: "You've heard about who has been at the party for the last few years, and you know and admire some of those people. And it sounds like a good party. Then you suddenly realise that you haven't had an invitation yet. So to get an invitation is a good feeling. I'd been a fan, so being able to step into and live out the things that I admire and love is a thrill."

Did you do any research?

Yes. I wanted a quick education in the characters. So they sent me some stuff, which I read. Then I relied on the script and treated it just as I would any other piece of writing.

Here's an interesting story. Captain Marvel was my father's favourite character when he was young. So he could tell me all about it, from the male iteration into the female iteration. And he knew exactly who my character was. I'm here for him.

Talk about the cast

Actors want to be in things that people see... that are popular. They want to be in safe hands, so that they know that their work is being well-treated and they look great. That's how you get the best out of them, so of course it's going to draw the top end. With this one, there's no difference. Starting with Brie Larson, and obviously Samuel L. Jackson, as soon as you hear that those two are at the centre of the piece, you know it's somewhere you want to be. You know you're in good company.

What's it been like working with Larson?

It's a good combination of fun. On the odd day that you get to play "tennis", the metaphor I use for acting, you want to play against someone who can raise your game. And Brie really led from the front. She arrives with a great spirit and is really well prepared and is fun to be around, which is important.

Do you find that putting on the costume transforms you?

Absolutely. I'm always astounded at the power of seeing yourself for the first time in the costume that's been decided on in its final stages. It gives you such assistance in finding and performing a character. I had several fittings, but the day it was finished, and I got to really sort of step back and look, it was so exciting.

The attention to detail and the quality of the suits they make are just extraordinary. They look fantastic, and there's a scale to everything that helps fill in certain areas. It also gives you the sense of formidable presence that Starforce has.

How do practical sets enhance the performance?

I like to think that the CG really is embellishment. In certain areas they are constructing the whole set, but what's been great is the locations. You put this kind of hardware and the suits in a lake bed at the right time of day, lit by the brilliant Ben Davis, and it looks like you're in an alien world. It's kind of breathtaking.

There's also just a sense of excitement when you're making a movie outside. There's just a dynamic and a scale to it all suddenly that enhances everything. It gives you literally a sense of terra firma.

What do you hope Captain Marvel brings to MCU?

I think the origin of S.H.I.E.L.D. and how they start out and seeing them as sort of bright-eyed ingenues not really knowing that this super other world or worlds even exist is going to be wonderfully satisfying. I think having a character as powerful as Captain Marvel suddenly on the good side is wonderfully exciting.

And I think the fact that since it's a woman, there's a fantastic sense of female strength and intelligence that's really unique to this character and particularly to this film. I think it's going to add a whole other string to their bow, if you like.

What kind of ride can audiences expect?

This movie will be a standalone in that people can enjoy it even if they haven't seen all the others, which is always important.

What will be interesting is that they'll be able to see this one and watch them almost chronologically because we are starting at the beginning.

There are all these little gags that tie through to stories that you've seen before, which I think will be amusing and satisfying and in that wonderful way where you can finally go, "Oh, that's where he got that from. Or that's why that's like this."

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, we were all left so devastated and in shock about what happens next. Suddenly, there's this great sense of hope because we've got someone who can seriously kick ass.