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  • -My first guest is a talented actor

  • who stars in the new movie "Wild Mountain Thyme,"

  • which is in theaters and On Demand December 11th.

  • Here is Jamie Dornan.

  • Hey, bud! Oh, it's good to see you, pal.

  • -Good to see you, too, man. -I know, crazy circumstances,

  • but how are you and your family doing?

  • I know you have three daughters under the age of 8, right?

  • -Yeah, exactly, yeah.

  • And you have two around that same age, right?

  • -Yep. And what has the past nine months

  • been like with three kids?

  • -I think it's kind of -- It's been all-encompassing.

  • You know, it's kind of been the agony and the ecstasy,

  • like, in the same period of time.

  • -Yeah, yeah. -Some of the most

  • challenging days I've ever had as a parent,

  • as we've ever had as parents.

  • And then some of the most fun to spend all this time together.

  • You know, kids are amazing,

  • 'cause they truly live in the moment.

  • So they're not concerned about what's happening

  • and why the world is the way it is at this age.

  • You know, they're just,

  • "This is what we have now. Let's have fun."

  • So, like, that's a great thing to be around, you know?

  • -I saw you took the plunge

  • and rejoined Instagram in quarantine.

  • Tell me about your first post here.

  • What is going on here? What happened to you?

  • -I mean, it looks like I'm the most committed

  • actor ever auditioning for Blue Man Group.

  • -[ Laughs ] -I knew that was you!

  • I knew that was you. You ignored me.

  • I go, "Jamie, hello. We have a thing,"

  • and you're just like real quiet, and...

  • With your turtleneck, and you walked off the stage.

  • -[ Laughs ] -What was happening there?

  • -What's actually happening is, I had to get this

  • full body cast -- or, upper body cast and head cast made

  • for a job, which I was about to start shooting

  • when the pandemic hit, and actually,

  • I'm not able to shoot that anymore

  • 'cause of schedules, so someone else

  • is now playing that character.

  • 'Cause that is a hellish experience, doing that.

  • I don't know if you've had that done, but it's really,

  • really uncomfortable, and I'm not a panicky person,

  • but I had a full panic attack.

  • Because I'm not a great nose breather anyway,

  • but they put, like, two little holes in your nose,

  • and that was the only way I could breathe.

  • So, I was really struggling, and it's like 45 minutes.

  • But I've been told that if I ever

  • have to do it again for anything,

  • I won't have to 'cause they have my cast now.

  • So it's the only time I ever have to do it in my life.

  • -Yeah, it's currently a mannequin at Macy's.

  • It's in the front window. Congratulations.

  • -I'm delighted. -I did that for "SNL,"

  • where they did the thing, but it didn't take 45 minutes.

  • They just -- I just did a face thing, though, too.

  • But, actually, you know, I have such a big Irish face

  • that it did take 45 minutes and extra plaster.

  • [ Both laugh ]

  • They go, "Gosh, you have a really big head."

  • What else have you taken up in quarantine?

  • Have you had time to focus on any hobbies or any new talents?

  • -You know, like everybody, I thought,

  • "How can I use this time to the best of my ability

  • when I have so much of it?" and I -- you know,

  • I signed up for, like, a fast-learning harmonica course.

  • I -- You know, it was one of those things,

  • it's on the side of your e-mail, your inbox, and it's like,

  • "Learn harmonica -- in three weeks, you'll be an expert."

  • And instead of $179, it's like $46 or something,

  • so I was like, "Yeah, okay." -That's a deal.

  • -Haven't played once. -[ Laughs ]

  • -Oh, my God. You didn't even do one lesson?

  • -In fact, I didn't even open the trial, no.

  • -[ Laughs ] -No.

  • But, look, I have it. -You had the intention.

  • Oh, you have the harmonica there!

  • -Yeah. -Oh, my good--

  • It's fairly simple. You could probably figure it out.

  • ♪♪

  • I think you should start teaching the lessons.

  • I know that song. Of course.

  • -Should I take that on the road,

  • like a one-man show, like Dick Van Dyke?

  • -If you don't, I think you're wasting a lot of -- yeah.

  • That's a big opportunity there that you should take.

  • I think, let's go back to talking about your acting.

  • I was so excited about this movie,

  • because I love romantic comedies.

  • I'm Irish, I think Irelanders

  • are just so gorgeous and beautiful.

  • It's called "Wild Mountain Thyme" --

  • T-H-Y-M-E, and it was filmed in Ireland,

  • set not too far from where you grew up.

  • Is that true? -Yeah.

  • I mean, it's based on John Patrick Shanley,

  • who wrote directed our movie.

  • He did a play on Broadway called "Outside Mullingar."

  • Mullingar is in County Meath, which is --

  • Yeah, I'm from County Down. It's probably 200 miles

  • from where I grew up, so not a million miles away.

  • Yeah, and it's a strange story.

  • I don't know if you're familiar with Shanley's movies

  • and the way he writes, but they're quite heightened,

  • fantastical kind of worlds.

  • And this is almost like a fairy tale, like a fable, you know?

  • It's very romantic, but it's kind of otherworldly,

  • and Emily Blunt and I play these two quite disconnected,

  • quite strange Irish farmers

  • who are sort of destined to be together

  • but can't work out a way to be together.

  • But, yeah, that's kind of it in a nutshell.

  • -It's a great cast.

  • It's you, Emily Blunt as your love interest.

  • Jon Hamm, who is just a friend,

  • and just, gosh, we love him here.

  • Christopher Walken, who is --

  • Luckily, I got to work with that guy,

  • I think, four times on "SNL," on "Saturday Night Live."

  • He plays your father.

  • Isn't he the most fun, interesting guy?

  • -Yeah. But also, you know,

  • he's Christopher Walken.

  • I mean, it literally doesn't get more kind of

  • iconic, I don't think, in our game.

  • -Yeah. -He's, as you know well,

  • he's actually just, like, the sweetest guy in the world.

  • He's really -- and he's played so many sinister characters

  • and so many weighted, heavy, sort of frightening characters,

  • and he's, like, the sweetest dude.

  • He was, like, really, just very connected and calm.

  • -He's a great dancer. -Amazing.

  • I mean, on top of acting, he can do everything, yeah.

  • After you talked with him for a while,

  • do you find yourself starting to lean into the impression

  • a little bit when you talk to him?

  • -Dude, I think it's, like, the sort of --

  • You know, it's like the equivalent of having

  • to sit on your hands so that you don't start

  • to gesture him or start to, like, mimic him.

  • I'm not a brilliant mimic. You are.

  • I wouldn't say I'm a great mimic,

  • but everyone has a Christopher Walken.

  • Like, everyone has one.

  • So you're sort of really pushing yourself not to do it.

  • Because imagine how many times people do it to him, you know?

  • It's bad. And, actually, I think

  • you realize in person, like, it's more --

  • You know, the impressions just become their own thing

  • that they're way more pushed than the reality.

  • -Oh, yeah. Yeah, exactly.

  • But, I mean, I find myself -- I do it all the time

  • even just interviewing -- even you, I find myself

  • thinking I can do a pretty good Irish accent.

  • -Yeah. -My key to the Irish accent,

  • for me -- I would never attempt one --

  • but I just keep saying the word "Em."

  • Em, em, em, em, em, em...

  • And that's all you keep saying.

  • -That can get you pretty far. That can get you, like,

  • a good night out in a pub.

  • You can just get by with just saying that.

  • -I should learn how to play harmonica.

  • I shouldn't even think about acting.

  • But I heard Emily Blunt introduced you

  • to something you call "acting juice" on the set.

  • What's acting juice?

  • -So, I actually don't even know the brand name, and I should,

  • because if I start telling people,

  • then they'll send me a load of it, and I'll be delighted.

  • -[ Laughs ] -But she had just done

  • this movie, "Jungle Cruise," with Dwayne Johnson,

  • and I guess when Johnson got her on to this,

  • it's like an energy drink, and so she had loads of it

  • with her in Ireland. Like, she'd had it shipped over.

  • She's like, "Do you want to try one?"

  • And that was just this fateful day

  • that I tried this great-flavored juice.

  • And it is like -- I don't know.

  • It's like Red Bull times 10

  • but apparently not as bad for you.

  • And it just gives you -- Makes you feel like

  • you're kind of maybe about to have a heart attack,

  • what I imagine that feels like. -That's the slogan.

  • That's the slogan for the energy drink.

  • -[ Laughing ] -"If you drink this,

  • you'll feel like..." -Unique selling point.

  • -"...you might have a heart attack," yeah.

  • -You feel like you're having a heart attack,

  • but you're okay, you won't.

  • -Yeah, "Legally, you can't sue us."

  • -That sort of sustains for a while.

  • But it just got to the point where Emily and I

  • convinced ourselves that we sort of couldn't act

  • without this stuff, so we were just calling it

  • "acting juice" and we'd be really panicking

  • if they were like, "Okay. Guys, we're gonna shoot

  • in about five minutes. You ready for that scene?"

  • And we'd be like, "Yeah, yeah," and then be like...

  • "Are we ready? There's no acting juice anywhere!"

  • -"I don't know what to do anymore!

  • I need the acting juice!"

  • -Honestly, it was -- Luckily, I've done a movie since

  • and I didn't have any acting juice,

  • and it all went okay, so I don't think I'm reliant on it.

  • -Yeah, you still got the chops.

  • And, gosh, the chemistry between you guys was perfect.

  • So, whatever it was, it worked.

  • I want to show a clip. Here's Jamie Dornan

  • and Emily Blunt in "Wild Mountain Thyme."

  • Take a look.

  • -Anthony!

  • Oh!

  • -[ Laughing ]

  • Are you all right?

  • -I'm fine.

  • -What are you doing out there?

  • -Fishing. -That was fishing?

  • -Yeah. -Without your rod?

  • Who were you talking to? -Wasn't talking.

  • -Looked to be talking, then swatting, then you jumped in.

  • -I did not. It's the Kellys that jump in.

  • I'm a Reilly. -You're a Reilly.

  • -What are you doing down by the river?

  • -What I've been doing -- after this one.

  • -Well, you're not still from the night before?

  • -I am.

  • -Good God in haven, you look the worst for it.

  • -Well, thanks so much. You don't look perfect yourself.

-My first guest is a talented actor

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