DORNAN DIGS THE DARK SIDE

Fifty Shades and The Fall star Jamie Dornan knows the dark side. Now he’s playing a war hero with his portrayal of Czech freedom fighter Jan Kubis in the Second World War film Anthropoid. Bob Thompson finds out what Dornan had to say about the project.

1 The director’s undeniable obsession with the story is an inspiration:

Sean Ellis co-wrote and directed Anthropoid, which is set during the Second World War, after he developed the project over nearly 15 years. “You should always have a certain amount of obsession or at least be bold about what you want to accomplish,” Dornan says. “So I couldn’t fail to be hugely engrossed in the characters and the story, because Sean’s attention to detail went far beyond what he needed to do.”

2 Dornan knew the note to emote:

The actor says the screenplay indicated his character, Czech freedom fighter Jan Kubis, is not the soldier or the killer type, “so I had a clear way into how to play him.”

“Jan was like a little brother to Josef (Gabcik, the character played by Cillian Murphy), and Jamie understood that almost immediately,” Ellis says.

3 The Prague factor informed them:

The film was shot in the Czech city with a mostly Czech crew and a few Czech actors. While Ellis used some digital enhancements to recall Prague of the 1940s, he also shot in and around buildings that existed during the Nazi occupation.

“It was massive visiting some of the key structures from Operation Anthropoid,” Dornan says. “In some places, you could see the bullet holes in the walls from back then.”

4 The bonding experience was vital:

Co-star Cillian Murphy and Dornan knew of each other but had never worked together before. They also understood their chemistry would be the major driving force in the film. Luckily, for all concerned, they got along on and off camera.

“I would really enjoy doing more with Cillian, but next time I think I would need him to be more in the background,” Dornan jokes.

5 Message is still more important than medium:

Dornan just wrapped the marathon of filming back-to-back sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. He’s also committed to at least one more season of The Fall.

“I love doing TV,” Dornan says. “I would never be picky about what the medium is. If it’s a compelling character and story, I will do it on TV or film. I think these days it’s important to do both and I feel privileged to do both.”