Jamie Dornan, 42, makes a reassuring first impression. He’s an obviously handsome guy. But he doesn’t take himself too seriously and, perhaps most endearingly, is willing to scavenge for food.
We’re in a photo studio in north London, waiting for toast. Dornan’s slice pops up with such force that the slightly burnt bread flies across the room and lands under a nearby table. Without a moment’s hesitation, the actor kneels down to find the slice; he picks it up, gives it a blow and returns it to his plate. “It’s the three-second rule,” laughs the star of the Fifty Shades of Grey saga and Belfast, biting into the crust.
Later, Dornan walks onto the set in a pair of voluminous gray knit trousers by Loewe, for which he is an ambassador. They are so wide, heavy and clown-like he has to shuffle across the floor like an amateur ice skate. “Not sure I’d pop out to the shops in them, but they’re bold and audacious, which can never be a bad thing,” he says.
The balance between statement-luxury and alt-masculinity fits him well. He reclines on a chair, rolls the pants to his knees, and exudes charisma. He is used to being photographed. A model in his youth, the actor has starred in successful campaigns for fashion giants such as Dior, Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein. In 2015, Vogue included him on its list of the 25 best male models in history. But Dornan is never entirely happy with the process: “I’m sincerely uncomfortable having my photograph taken.”
Question. Really? Why?
Answer. Because I think most people are, I think it’s strange if you’re not.
Q. Yes, but I wouldn’t imagine you to be like that, especially when you see the end results
A. I don’t want to see the end results.
Q. You don’t?
A. Not particularly. I might not be able to avoid the end result, but I hate the process. When I first started modelling, I grew up in an age of Polaroids when there was so much more trust with everybody.
Q. And it was framed in the camera, not in post-production.
A. Exactly. Nowadays, especially if you’re doing an advertising campaign, they’re stopping and having a trial by committee after every image. The trust is all gone, and I find it really sad.
Q. Tell me about your relationship with Loewe. You’ve said it’s a good fit.
I feel comfortable with [creative director] Jonathan Anderson. We’re from the same part of the world, and I immediately feel comfortable with people who have a similar or early life experience to me. I was going to say we sound the same, but I think he goes more northern Irish when he’s around me. His accent is kind of funky now.
