Summary
- Jamie Dornan doesn't let himself get caught up in being solely known as Christian Grey.
- Dornan embraces the opportunity to explore new genres and experiences as an actor, including the action genre in his latest project, Heart of Stone.
- In addition to his portrayal of Christian Grey, Dornan has taken on a variety of roles in his career, showing his versatility as an actor.
Note: This interview was conducted in June prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Christian Grey isn’t someone Jamie Dornan is worrying about. The star of Netflix’s new mystery, Heart of Stone, is arguably best known for portraying the bondage-obsessed billionaire from the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. However, Dornan doesn’t let himself get caught up in the fact that some of his fans only see him as Christian Grey.
Dornan said in an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, "I honestly just don't think about that. You know, I just don’t. If I thought about that, it would be sort of detrimental to everyone else around me and what we're trying to do. I can't control if other people have some sort of pre-ordained perception of me, what kind of characters that I've played, or the ones that they know of." He added:
If they can't shake off other characters that I've done before and get themselves into what they're watching, that's on them. I don't know. So, I certainly don't worry about myself or give any thought to [that].
Dornan next stars alongside Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, in the Netflix action film Heart of Stone. Gadot’s character, Rachel Stone, is an elite secret agent serving a group called the Charter. Dornan takes on the role of Parker and Matthias Schweighöfer portrays Jack of Hearts.
Related: Best Jamie Dornan Performances, Ranked
Jamie Dornan Doesn’t Worry About Christian Grey
To many of his fans, Heart of Stone star Jamie Dornan is, and probably always will be, synonymous with Christian Grey. From 2015 until 2018, Dornan portrayed the dysfunctional character who one day finds happiness and love with the woman he eventually marries, Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) in the Fifty Shades of Grey film trilogy.
In 2023, the actor finds himself sharing the screen with Gal Gadot in Netflix’s Heart of Stone. And his character Parker bares no resemblance to the Fifty Shades of Grey protagonist. Plus, there’s a lot more action to contend with in his latest project, which is something Dornan doesn't have a lot of experience with. Dornan said in the same interview:
“It’s just an area [action] that I haven’t explored, essentially. And my view of being an actor is to try to experience all of it. Yeah, Jesus, I’ve done a lot of very grounded drama stuff, done some sci-fi stuff, done big, big broad comedy stuff. I feel like I’ve been lucky that I’ve got to explore all these worlds, and this is one that I simply haven’t explored yet. And, for that very reason, had a big appeal to me."
Some of Dornan’s more high-profile roles outside of Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018) include portraying Sheriff Graham Humbert in nine episodes of Once Upon a Time, playing Will Tillman in 2018’s Robin Hood and stepping into the shoes of the Man (Elliot Stanley) on Max's The Tourist.
Fifty Shades of Grey was recently added to Netflix and quickly topped the charts. Heart of Stone is currently streaming on Netflix as well.
Fifty Shades of Grey
R
1/5
Based on the book by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey is the first film in the trilogy that follows naive literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), whose life changes upon meeting the complicated and tormented billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dorman). Drawn to each other, the two start a romantic relationship where Steele uncovers Grey's secrets - and explores her own personal desires.
- Release Date
- February 11, 2015
- Director
- Sam Taylor-Johnson
- Cast
- Dakota Johnson , Jamie Dornan , Luke Grimes , Jennifer Ehle , Eloise Mumford , Rita Ora
- Runtime
- 2h 5m
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Kelly Marcel , E.L. James
- Studio(s)
- Focus Features , Michael De Luca Productions , Trigger Street Productions
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Sequel(s)
- Fifty Shades Darker , Fifty Shades Freed
- Franchise(s)
- Fifty Shades of Grey
