BERLIN -- Jude Law says his biggest challenge in preparing for Steven Soderbergh's new thriller Side Effects was psychological: convincing himself that he could play a psychiatrist properly.

The movie has its international première Tuesday at the Berlin film festival, where it's one of 19 contenders for the top Golden Bear award. British actor Law plays a psychiatrist who prescribes a new drug he's testing out as part of a lucrative deal with a pharmaceutical giant.

Law told reporters he was faced with "overcoming the reality that I wasn't going to be able to go to medical school in the time it took to prepare for the part."

He added: "I didn't have a huge relationship with pharmaceuticals or an understanding of them."

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 13, 2013 C2