As Heart of Stone gears up for release this Friday, we caught up with Jamie Dornan, who describes the movie as physically demanding, reveals what it was like working with the "brilliant" Gal Gadot and shares how filming in Ireland "is just more craic".
It's fair to say that Dornan, who hails from Co Down, has had quite a diverse cinematic journey. From portraying a chilling serial killer in The Fall to the enigmatic Christian Grey in - love it or hate it - Fifty Shades of Grey.
He’s also showcased his goofy side in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and delivered a captivating performance in Kenneth Branagh's homage to his hometown, Belfast. Now, Dornan tackles death-defying feats in a larger-than-life action spectacle Heart of Stone alongside Gal Gadot, taking on a genre he has been keen to dip his toe into for quite a while.
Directed by the acclaimed Tom Harper (Wild Rose and Peaky Blinders), the new movie is full of surprises. Dornan takes on the role of Parker, an MI6 agent who is part of an elite squad, alongside Gal Gadot's character, Rachel Stone.
So what was it about Heart of Stone that made Dornan take the leap into action movies?
"I've had my eye on it a wee bit for a while, and then this presented itself: Greg Rucka (writer/producer), I think, is sort of at the top of his game in this genre, Tom Harper is a director that I've nearly worked with one or two times before, and Gal Gadot was already attached – and obviously you know how brilliant she is," Dornan explains.
"When I read a script, I always try to place myself in the audience to try to gauge how they're going to react, and the impact that the twists and turns are going to have on them.
"There are loads of twists and turns in this movie - I think that's what keeps it entertaining and exciting. And there's a lot about Parker that appealed to me: he's not just some sort of two-dimensional spy character, he's multi-layered. And that plays out in lots of different ways in the story. It was great fun to play those different aspects of him."
Parker is a complex individual with dark secrets. And while his roots trace back to Belfast, his origin wasn't initially Irish.
Dornan elaborates: "I think originally when Greg Rucka wrote the script, Parker was English – and I was all up for playing him as English. But then Tom and I had a pretty interesting conversation one day, where he had a pretty strong argument for why Parker could be from the North, and how an aspect of that background might feed some of his behaviour in the script."
Dornan's decision to play Parker with his own accent wasn't about making his life easy, but about adding depth to the character.
"It wasn't me going 'Ah, listen, can I just keep my own accent here?' like I couldn't be bothered. And it was really just for us… none of it comes into the story and you don't find out as an audience. But I just thought it added something to it and, yes, selfishly, obviously it is much easier if I'm not grappling with an accent."
As our chat continues via Zoom - Dornan is in Brazil promoting Heart of Stone at a Netflix fan event prior to the writers' strike - the conversation shifts to family and Dornan shares how he tries balance being a parent and husband with his career. "It's a constant challenge, to be honest with you," he says.
"I'm really lucky to have a bit of a choice over work situations, and when and where I work. We have a two-week rule which I have only broken twice in ten years of being a parent.
"And when I'm off, I'm off, you know? I didn't work the first three months of the year so I'm doing every school on every pick up… I'm really there and I love that."
Dornan’s career has allowed him to travel all over the world but he says he will always have a grá and a longing to work in his home country. "I probably shouldn't say this, but it is just more craic in Ireland.
"I like to have fun at work - I think you do your best work when you're relaxed. And there's nothing more relaxing than being around people who understand your humour, understand your accent, and fall in line with your sort of ethos. And for me, obviously, because I'm from there, it only happens on that island.
"You know, I'm not saying you can't have a great time filming and picking up different cultures all around the world - that's brilliant. But there's nothing like being surrounded by people that you grew up surrounded by."
He adds: "It's a big thing, and I've made a point so far in my career of working in Ireland, North and South. I will always seek that out, because it's important to me to tell stories from home, particularly with the North and the complications of that. There are so many more stories to be told, so I long to continue doing that."
Heart of Stone is on Netflix from Friday, 11 August.
