Jamie Dornan has been dismissed as “funny” in his sarcastic response to Emily Blunt’s Irish accents in the film Wild Mountain Thyme.
Dornan, who is from Holywood in Northern Ireland, and Blunt, who is from London, play star lovers in the romantic drama set in rural Ireland.
However, their accents in the trailer, released in November, provoked ridicule from some Irish viewers, with official Dublin Airport food calling for the “police to tear”.
Speaking on a Graham Norton Show New Year’s Eve special, the 50 Shades Of Gray star said the response was similar to Irish humor.
Dornan, 38, said: “I thought the response was funny. I’m from Ireland and our money takes the piss, so you rarely put something out there and not take the piss with you. I am all for it. ”
The film, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, also features Jon Hamm and Christopher Walken and tells a love story set against rural Irish landscapes.
Dornan and Blunt play lovers Anthony and Rosemary, whose families are trapped in a quarrel over a controversial piece of land that separates their two farms.
Dornan said of the script: “John Patrick Shanley is firmly in his work. It’s not normal serial films, they’re all a little louder and a little weird, but the lyrics are beautiful. ”
Blunt, 37, praised the writing, saying: “When we read the script, we thought it was so bewitching and completely unique. It’s weird, lyrical and romantic so we’re just excited for people to see it because it’s so loud, and it definitely sweeps you away into a magical world. It’s just a joy. ”
Dornan, who shares three daughters with wife Amelia Warner, said his children were helped by locking down.
He said: “Having children can make it much harder in many ways but it can also save you many ways. They take your mind off the daily trauma while living through a pandemic. They used to dress me up and I want that – in particular, wearing a dress. ”
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One on December 31 at 10.25pm.