Actor Jude Law arrives at the Old Bailey Criminal Court to give evidence in the ‘News of the World’ hacking trial, in London, yesterday.
London Evening Standard/London
Jude Law told the Old Bailey phone-hacking trial yesterday how his Oscar nomination led to his private life being probed by the press.
The 41-year-old actor said journalists had been fascinated by the break-up of his 10-year marriage to Sadie Frost, the mother of his three children.
The court has heard how the News of the World mounted a sustained campaign to gather information on Frost, Law and later his girlfriend Sienna Miller.
Their phones were hacked and Law’s nanny Jade Schmidt was offered £100,000 by the newspaper to sell her exclusive story, the jury was told.
The actor, who is appearing in Henry V at the Noel Coward theatre, entered court dressed in a sober grey suit and dark tie.
Justice Saunders apologised for Law having been “messed about” and said a hold-up in proceedings yesterday morning was caused by a train delay for a juror. Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told the jury that Law was “probably the first witness we have heard I don’t need to ask who he is or what he does.”
The actor was warned that the acoustics in the courtroom were not good but Edis said “you are perfectly capable of dealing with that. I’m sure you will be able to project.”
Law told the jury that in 2001 he was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Talented Mr Ripley. “I would say that after the Oscar nomination there was a lot more interest in me in my private life, it raised my profile in the media,” he said.
“My marriage ran into difficulties around 2001 and 2002 and the media took an interest and they reported on it quite regularly.”
Former NoW editors Rebekah Brooks, 44, and Andy Coulson, 44, are accused of conspiracy to intercept voicemail communications with former NoW news editor Ian Edmondson and managing editor Stuart Kuttner between October 2000 and August 2006.