Today, Jamie Dornan is best known for his roles in Fifty Shades of Grey and Once Upon a Time. When he started his acting career in Marie Antoinette along with Civil war star Kirsten Dunst, he was not sure about his career following this role as Count Axel Fersen. And thought that his first movie would be his last one.
Jamie Dornan Told Kristen Dunst About How He Thought Marie Antoinette Would Be His First, and Last Role
Kirsten Dunst and Jamie Dornan in Marie Antoinette (2006). Image Credit: Columbia Pictures
During Variety’s Actors on Actors with Kirsten Dunst, Jamie Dornan who met the Civil War star first time in the romance movie Marie Antoinette discussed how he thought that this debut feature film might be his last film.
He was very nervous seeing the other big names around him and feared that one small mistake could make his first movie his last role.
“I remember thinking it might be my last. I remember thinking I really don’t know what I’m doing here,” he said.
Dornan thought that he would not be able to deliver his best performance as he was intimidated by thinking that he would be working with acclaimed director Sofia Coppola.
Not only Dornan, even Dunst also got intimidated by the thought of performing intimate scenes with him. She also got uncomfortable.
“All our stuff was like making out, and I’m not comfortable with that. It’s never comfortable, ever.” Dunst shared.
Overcoming all those odds, the film eventually became a successful one and Dornan also felt that the movie was a “pretty good first gig”.
Jamie Dornan Admitted He ‘hid’ in the Country After Harsh Reviews for Fifty Shades of Grey
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Jamie Dornan Admitted He ‘hid‘ in the Country After Harsh Reviews for Fifty Shades of Grey
During his appearance on the BBC 4 radio show Desert Island Discs, the Belfast actor opened up how Sam Taylor-Johnson’s first 50 Shades of Grey film got poor reviews and that led him to go into hiding.
The first Fifty Shades film, released in 2015 and it was panned by the critics. The movie explores the sadomasochistic relationship between Anastasia Ana Steele, a college graduate played by Dakota Johnson, and the tycoon Christian Grey, played by Dornan.
“[I was] coming off the back of career-altering reviews for The Fall and BAFTA nominations and all the madness The Fall brought to ridicule,” Dornan said.
“I think I hid,” he said.
“[My family] went down to Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s place. They weren’t there. They let us have their place in the country, and we sort of hid there for a while and shut ourselves off from the world a bit.”
Based on E L James’ novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, despite all those negative reviews, became a box office success and spawned two sequels.
“It made so much money so like, films two and three were greenlit overnight,” the actor added. “It was a strange thing because there’s a bit of ridicule here, and I’m now contracted to do two more, knowing that there will be much more damnation to come.”
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson was nominated for worst director at that year’s Razzie Awards and currently the movie holds 25 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The actor also said that he does not regret taking the role of Christian Grey.
Watch Marie Antoinette on Max and The Fifty Shades of Grey movie trilogy is available to stream on Peacock
