Jude Law has revealed that scientists on the set of Contagion gave him a stark warning about a potential real-life pandemic, almost a decade before the coronavirus crisis.

In 2011, Jude played a conspiracy theorist in the film about a fictional virus which swiftly leads to a pandemic.

Reflecting on the experience of making the film, the British star revealed that the team consulted with many scientists and medical experts, who warned that an actual pandemic was a case of “when rather than if”.

Speaking to GQ, he explained: “There was absolutely the sense that this was going to happen.

“The great scientists on set with us who had worked with Scott Burns, the writer, and Steven [Soderbergh, its director] were very learned and experienced individuals who knew what to expect and they all said to us that this was going to happen, and it was a case of when rather than if.” 

Jude continued: “The way they described it, which is exactly as it has happened, just made sense. What’s scary is you learn in a set like that because you’re being advised by experts, but it doesn’t necessarily sit.

“When 2020 started and we heard about what was initially happening in China and what fast became apparent around the world, it rang alarm bells.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t hugely surprised.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter over the summer, Jude’s Contagion co-star Kate Winslet also spoke of how the film had helped her prepare.

“People thought I was crazy because I had been walking around wearing a mask for weeks, going into the grocery store and wiping everything down with isopropyl alcohol and wearing gloves,” she said

“Then all of a sudden March 13 came around, and people were like, ‘Fuck, where do I get one of those masks?’”

Watch Jude Law’s interview with GQ in full in the video above.