Jude Law was put through his paces as he starred in a 12 hour live theatre broadcast for The Third Day on Saturday.
The actor, 47, starred as Sam, a man who is made to take part in Osea’s annual autumnal celebration, Esus and the Sea, which saw him take part in several enduring trials to ensure that he is fit to lead the island.
During the gruelling event, which was created by immersive theatre company Punchdrunk and broadcast live by Sky TV on Facebook, Jude was pelted with mud, forced to drag a boat for an hour, and even stripped to his boxers and made to stand on a platform in the ocean.
Gruelling: Jude Law was pelted with mud, dragged a boat for an hour, and stood on a platform in the ocean while just in his BOXERS during 12 hour live theatre broadcast on Saturday
The Third Day is split into three parts, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, with Jude’s live event making up the second act after he appeared in the three episodes that were part of the ‘Summer’ portion.
All taking place on Osea Island, ‘Winter’ is set to feature three episodes that will star Naomi Harris as Helen, a woman who also finds herself drawn to the mysterious location much like Sam before her.
In Summer, Sam finds himself unable to leave the enchanting world of Osea Island as secretive rituals help him to deal with loss and trauma he has faced in his life, but it soon leads him to reveal a shocking secret.
Viewers were left awe-struck by the 12-hour ‘Autumn’ event, with many hailing it as ‘mesmerising’ and ‘visually stunning’.
Drama: The actor stars as Sam in The Third Day, a man who takes part in Osea Island’s annual autumnal celebration, Esus and the Sea, which saw him take part in several enduring trials
Immersive theatre: During the gruelling event, which was created by immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, Jude dragged a boat while being followed by a procession for an hour
One viewer said: ‘The Third Day live on @SkyArts today is absolutely mesmerising. Incredible stuff from Jude Law and everyone involved. @Punchdrunklnt are absolutely ground breaking.’
While another person gushed: ‘I cannot take my eyes off The Third Day Live. It is so visually stunning and Jude Law’s stamina is blowing me away.’
Though not everyone was as amazed by the show, as one fan joked that they found it ‘riveting’ that they got to watch as Jude dug a hole in the ground for an hour.
And another person quipped: ‘watching the insane “the third day” livestream on hbo’s facebook page. i hope jude law is getting paid A LOT for this. i wouldn’t be surprised if they started waterboarding him (sic).’
Impressed: Viewers were left awe-struck by the 12-hour ‘Autumn’ event, with many hailing it as ‘mesmerising’ and ‘visually stunning’
The live event was co-directed by Punchdrunk’s founder Felix Barrett, and he explained to IndieWire that he wanted to make something that transcended TV.
He said: ‘There’s something interesting about a story transcending the media you’re telling; how you can actually be watching a TV show and then the fourth wall of the screen can fall open and you fall inside it. Then the story passes back into television to wrap it up.’
Felix and Jude knew each other from their school days, and the actor reconnected with his former classmate after becoming a fan of his immersive theatre production and wanting to work with them.
Innovative: The Third Day is split into three parts, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, with Jude’s live event making up the second act and the third act starring Naomi Harris
Jude told the publication: ‘About seven years ago, I’d probably been crass and overtly emotional and enthusiastic — as I can be sometimes, especially if I’ve had a glass of wine — and I probably said, “I want to be in one of your plays.”
‘So, he came and pitched me this idea of this cross-medium concept, whereby a piece of film storytelling would turn somehow into a piece of immersive theater. And I was just, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s do it.”‘
To re-watch ‘Autumn’ go to Sky’s Facebook channel, the first three episodes of ‘Summer’ are available on Sky and NOW TV. ‘Winter’ premieres on Tuesday 6th at 9pm on Sky and NOW TV.
Groundbreaking: The live event was co-directed by Punchdrunk’s founder Felix Barrett, and he explained to IndieWire that he wanted to make something that transcended TV