When you meet Jamie Dornan
Saying that you have an interview with Jamie Dornan is such a nice event that you can occasionally keep it light with people. “Thursday at half past four? That will be difficult, because I have an interview with Jamie Dornan then.” Drinks this afternoon? “No, sorry, I really need to prepare those questions for Jamie Dornan.”
You might be thinking now: Jamie Dornan, Jamie Dornan... Wasn't he that incredibly well-cast gentleman from that film adaptation of that book where more than 60 million copies have been sold? I nod now, because I've agreed not to talk about that. Moreover, I haven't seen the film and that's probably for the best, because then I would likely be thinking about very different things during the interview, and I'm speaking to him because he is once again, or still, the face of Boss The Scent.
Together with ‘our’ Birgit Kos, Jamie (I can call him Jamie, yes) is again the ambassador of one of the best-selling fragrances in the world. The thought behind the campaign (beautifully filmed by Drake Doremus) is that we replace so many real contacts with the virtual version and that scent is the means to bring us back to reality. Ain't nothing like the real thing, after all.
Well, that collaboration called for an ‘encore’, so when Boss added a Boss The Scent Absolue to the portfolio, the same dream team was summoned. And when half of the dream team was at the Amsterdam Conservatorium Hotel (a location I had to keep strictly secret, by the way), I naturally found it perfectly fine to ask him there about the sculpted body. Figuratively speaking, of course. What do you think I'm here for?.
Weekend in Amsterdam
We meet on the top floor in the suite, where everyone is busy making healthy juices. I sit down on one of the two highlighted sofas as Jamie walks in. “I remember you.” I don't make the joke that I remember him too. That was in London, I want to know if he is enjoying himself in Amsterdam as well.
‘Enormous. The last time I was here was in 2001. I was nineteen, still in university, and went with my best friends on the ferry from Newcastle. That was far from great, but we had no money. I believe our hotel didn't even have a front door, but I remember very little of that whole weekend. I couldn't have imagined that eighteen years later I would be sitting here in this capacity in a five-star hotel. I just texted my friends: ‘I'm in Amsterdam. Do you remember?’ My friends have stayed the same, my life has not.’
We see each other because of Boss The Scent, of which you are the face. Boss roughly focuses on two groups of men: the urban city guy of The Scent and the type I-chop-my-own-wood of Boss Bottled. You are booked for the campaign of The Scent, but are you that in real life as well?
‘I'm not exactly a man who chops his own wood, but I do live in the countryside and we have a dog, two horses, two goats, five chickens, and a rabbit, so we are ‘fairly countryfied'. On the other hand, I've lived in London for fifteen years and spend a large part of my life in cities, so I would say I'm a good hybrid of these two types of men.
We loved London, but left the city to give our children space, to provide good air quality in an environment where they eat meat from animals that have had a good life.’
The campaign aims to encourage people to be in the now, something that you, in my opinion, are a big proponent of.
‘Human interaction would be so much better if we weren't distracted by all sorts of other things that take us out of the now. I'm not a saint in that regard, by the way. I often catch myself doing the first thing I do when I wake up is grab my phone.’
You've also stopped using Instagram.
‘I barely even started. In six months, I think I've posted four things. That also happens because of the kids, wanting to spend more time with them and not wanting to be a zombie on your phone all the time. Now you can watch any sports game, wherever you are, but it's not dramatic if you don't see them all live. For example, my wife reads at least one book a week. I really can't do that. It's also because of the kids (Jamie has three daughters: one aged six, one aged three, and one aged eight months, MM), but also because I usually already know which three projects are in the pipeline and I feel I should spend my time wisely and delve into the script instead of a random book. The last book I read that really impacted me is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Not that I completely agree with her views and perspective on the world, but it's just so beautifully written.’
And what do you do when your wife is reading that book?
‘Then I watch, uh, golf or something. And no, that's not a waste of your time. That's the best in the world. It's therapy, haha.’
You are Irish (Jamie was born in the town of Holywood in Ireland MM) and although I've never been there, I think I would really enjoy it. What should I do to add a bit of Irishness to my life?
‘I think the Irish and the Dutch get along very well. We like to have fun and enjoy the social side of life. The Irish can be a bit heavy-handed, but they seek the balance of life and are therefore very much in the moment. And usually, a drink comes into play as well.’
Back to Boss, how many bottles have you consumed since last year?
‘Well, I'm a big proponent of ‘less is more’ when it comes to applying a fragrance. I hate people who use too much. I've received so many bottles of Boss The Scent that, with my consumption habits, I will probably smell the same for the rest of my life. Luckily, I now have the Absolue, so a variation on a theme. And my wife likes it, so that's nice.’
