Seeing the film as the evolution of a man who goes from living a mindless existence to one who is trying to become mindful, director Charles Shyer walked a careful line between comedy and drama. In fact, both he and actor Jude Law skillfully balanced Alfie’s dark side with his fun-loving outlook on life.
“Charles is a director who understands comedy very well,” says Law. “I was always trying to pull out the darkness from Alfie, and thankfully, Charles was there to help pull out the light. It was the perfect blend.”
Shyer welcomed Law’s take on the more serious side of the character, but encouraged him to offset it by exploring the subtle humor. “There’s a definite dark side to Alfie,” says the director. “The dark side being his blindness, his ignorance and his cruelty. all of which he’s blissfully unaware of -- until, of course, he’s forced to take a hard look at himself and the pain he’s wrought.”
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