Jamie recently sat down with ICON EL PAÍS to discuss The Fall, Fifty Shades of Grey and his time spent as a teen with friends Eddie Redmayne and Andrew Garfield. Although the article was originally printed in Spanish, EJD has spent some time translating the article into proper English. Read below and enjoy!
It took one decade for the ex model from Belfast to be acknowledged as an actor. Now, Jamie Dornan fights to get rid of Grey’s shadow. Thanks to roles like the psychopath in “The Fall” or the heroic soldier from “The Siege of Jadotville” (the Netflix Original that will be released on Netflix October 7th,) it looks like he won’t need to wait another decade this time. He talked to us in an exclusive interview for ICON.
There are Twitter accounts dedicated to celebrating the shapes of his arms. Advertising images where this ex-model appeared cuddled up with Kate Moss, or smeared with oil along with Eva Mendes, form part of the popular imagery of the past decade. Media as prestigious as The New York Times nicknamed him ‘The Golden Torso’ and a trailer for the second installment of the Fifty Shades series – where he plays the most mysterious icon of our age: a millionaire fond of sadomasochistic sex – sent millions of fans into a frenzy counting down the days until the premiere (February 10, 2017). Jamie Dornan, however, is the one that seems to care the least. Northern Ireland’s 34 year old clearly wants to offer something more than a godlike physique. He could have spent his days signing a never ending stream of advertising contracts while continuing to be shown half naked but instead decided to pursue acting. After facing some criticism, Dornan landed the role in the UK television series ‘The Fall’, where he plays a psychopath from his native city of Belfast. The Fall has just released its third season, and it’s in that television series that Dornan proves his depth as an actor. His latest film, a stark contrast to his role as Christian Grey, also showcases Dornan’s talent. ‘The Siege of Jadotville,’ which debuts on Netflix October 7, is inspired by a true story. In 1961, during the war of Katanga, a secessionist province of Congo, an Irish battalion of 150 soldiers sent by the United Nations was attacked by some 3000 men of the local army assisted by French and Belgian mercenaries. There were five days of fierce fighting, but this battle was excluded from the official history of Ireland. “I had no idea about this battle. It was kept secret for years for several reasons, which I find embarrassing since it shows Irish heroics on a large scale” He explains in his County Down accent, after a photo shoot in which he had been amicable and sociable, spontaneous and somewhat foul-mouthed.
Why did you get into the film business?
I don’t have the proper attitude for working in an office. From a young age, I knew that I was not that kind of person. I lack the patience to sit in front of a computer. I had no idea what I would do, but I think that all those who work in film feel compelled at a young age. I started theatre at the age of 13; I wanted to be a different person and express myself accordingly than my friends on the rugby team. It was clear I wanted to be an actor. I felt comfortable in a world that allowed me to be the person people weren’t expecting me to be.
