Jamie Dornan opened up about his role in "Fifty Shades of Grey."
In a recent interview with British GQ magazine, the Irish actor reflected on the critical drubbing he took as lead in the three blockbusters. And he quickly noted, the “blockbuster” in that sentence often overrides the “critical reception” part.
"Look, put it this way, it's done no harm to my career to be part of a movie franchise that has made more than $1 billion," Dornan said. "Every working actor would say the same thing. It's provided a lot. There's no shame in saying it's transformed my life and my family's life financially. I am very, very grateful for this, and always will be.”
“And the fans loved it,” he continued. “But I take issue with the whole thing being just a bit of a joke. Everyone involved worked as hard as they could on those films, including myself."
The three films in the series -- the 2015 original, 2017's “Fifty Shades Darker,” and “Fifty Shades Freed” in 2018 -- have actually passed the billion dollar level in revenues, and no doubt will continue to earn. So, that 25% grade on Rotten Tomatoes seems just fine to Dornan.
Not that the 39-year old isn't interested in perfecting his chosen art. In fact, he had a good acting reputation before he was cast in the "Fifty Shades" movies. But as he inferred, it’s not easy finding work as an actor, especially as you are establishing yourself in the industry.
"There has to be an acceptance with acting, taking jobs, that you don't ultimately have control over some things,” Dornan admitted. “But you do know what you are getting into, and I did spend a lot of time weighing up whether to take the Fifty Shades role.”
In a way, it was a very brave decision for Dornan. This wasn’t just one B-flick for a paycheck -- he knew he was signing on for three of these films that would consume a couple years of his life.
And that was after letting out a sigh of relief when Charlie Hunnam was originally cast in the role. “But he pulled out, and then I got a call,” Dornan recalled. “And I got it. And there we go. I had to confront that choice again."
And of course, the books that the film series were based on had already received the critics’ sword long before the films were made.
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“Take that project [and] you know that loads of people are going to hate it -- hate it -- before they have even seen it. Why? Because, guess what? The majority of people hated the books. And I'm not saying I don't recognize why those books were so powerful for millions of people, but you aren’t going to have books that were horrifically critiqued turned into movies that will be critically acclaimed. You are dealing with the same material. That's the raw material we had."
In a way, it has become a blessing. Dornan has now established himself as a fine actor in a number of roles (“A Private War,” “Anthropoid,” “Belfast”). He’s currently in Australia shooting “The Tourist,” a mind-twisting BBC/HBO series that is described as a cross between Steven Spielberg’s “Duel” and Christopher Nolan’s “Memento.”
"Whatever comes next,” Dornan concludes, “the line in the press is always, 'It's the best thing he's done since Fifty Shades.’ As if I am still needing to prove myself. I am still paying penance for that choice to get me back to where I was beforehand.”
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