-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.