British actor Jude Law’s fear of playing a 1980s FBI agent was what hooked him to The Order

LOS ANGELES – In the true-crime thriller The Order, Jude Law plays an American federal agent trying to catch a white supremacist group terrorising the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s.

But the 52-year-old actor was initially afraid to take the role because he was not sure he, as an Englishman, could convincingly portray the character, a grizzled Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) veteran.

“It made me feel incredibly British, and the challenge was, ‘Gosh, this is a very particular type of man.’

“He felt very much of his time and very American – and that scared me,” Law says at a Los Angeles screening in late 2024.

“But sometimes, the fear of what a role may demand is the very thing that hooks me,” adds the star, most recently seen in the Disney+ science-fiction series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024).

Now streaming on Prime Video and based on a true story, The Order follows FBI agent Terry Husk (Law) as he traces a series of violent bank heists and other crimes to a neo-Nazi group.

Known as The Order, its leader is the radical and charismatic Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult), whom Husk believes is plotting an armed uprising against the federal government.

But as the agent takes on the terrorist group, he finds himself in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with Mathews.

Law – who co-produced the film – says he instantly saw the potential in the story, which is based on the non-fiction book, The Silent Brotherhood: The Chilling Inside Story Of America’s Violent, Anti-Government Militia Movement (1989).

“What became apparent very quickly was not just the possibilities in this script – this extraordinary true-crime story so brilliantly folded into a genre piece – but the incredible potential in the role,” says the Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for the psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley (1999).

Law and director Justin Kurzel – a 50-year-old Australian film-maker who also helmed historical drama Macbeth (2015) and action movie Assassin’s Creed (2016) – wanted this to be more than just a crime story.

Law says: “Justin was a director we knew could unpack this both as a genre piece and a human drama with the light we shed on Husk.”

The film was written by American screenwriter Zach Baylin, who came across the story while researching contemporary neo-Nazi groups in the US, including The Proud Boys.

“The Proud Boys and other domestic terrorist groups emerged in the 2016 to 2017 era, and we were looking for a story that might speak to why that became prevalent again,” says the 45-year-old. He picked up a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for King Richard (2021), a biographical drama about the father of tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams.

“So, it was very much about telling this time period accurately, but we were aware of the relevance to today.”

But although this is a true story, Husk is a composite character based on several law enforcement officials involved in the investigation.

This allowed the movie to draw an interesting contrast between Husk and his prime target, Mathews.

“Husk has the potential to mirror Mathews,” says Law.

Despite his dark neo-Nazi beliefs, Mathews was “a wholesome, apparently community-loving and charismatic guy who had an abundance of family”.

“And here is Husk, who has no family and who is crushed by his obsessions,” says Law. He has two children aged four and two with wife Philippa Coan, a 37-year-old British business coach, as well as five older children from previous relationships.

The actor saw some of himself in the character as well.

“I love the sense that this guy’s carrying the wounds of war and the weariness of a successful career, but at what cost?

“And he reminded me of me,” Law adds.

“Fifteen years ago, I thought, ‘I’m approaching middle age, and the world’s in good shape.’ Then, suddenly you go, ‘Oh no, the battle’s in front. Have I got anything left in me to fight the good fight?’

“And I thought that was really key to Husk.”