The male Kate Moss: Jamie Dornan

So, there’s good news and bad news about Jamie Dornan, the young man from Belfast dubbed the male Kate Moss’ by GQ and the Golden Torso’ by The New York Times.

The good news: he’s smart, sweet and thoughtful. Tidies up before his cleaner comes round. Carries stamps in his wallet because he likes old-fashioned letter-writing, particularly to his dad. Charming. Modest to a fault. Single. Broody. Touched by melancholia. The bad news? He wouldn’t take his top off for our photo shoot. Sorry. I did try. But at least he showed me the Dornan Furrow.

I’m not going to take my shirt off every time I’m in front of a camera,’ he explains patiently in his strong Northern Irish accent. It’s very accessible. Google “Jamie Dornan torso” and there you are. I’ve done it enough that I really don’t see how it’s interesting any more. People assume you’re stupid enough as it is. Then you take your shirt off and they’re like, “He must be an idiot.” Seriously, people approach me and you can see it in their eyes.’ They speak to you very s-l-o-w-l-y? They’re like: “Let’s talk about grease and oil on your body. And aftershave. And your grooming technique.”

I understand: I mean, if I saw a picture of me, I’d probably be the same.’ Said with the weariness of someone who, at 27, has been there, done that, had Gisele lying in his lap. He’s been spooned by Kate Moss on a billboard, shielded Eva Mendes’ modesty in a pants advert… Where else is there for a male model to go?

He’s more interested in acting, having made a ravishing debut as Kirsten Dunst’s lover, Count Axel Fersen, in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Much more stretching than simply working the Dornan Furrow. That’s his trademark modelling technique. It’s so funny. Until I do it, the photographers just aren’t happy. They’re like, “It’s not working, it’s not working.” Then I look down, and then I look up, and it creates this furrow in my brow’ – he demonstrates, devastatingly – Then they’re happy.’ He takes a big bite of his club sandwich.

I’ve never bought that “my body is a temple” shit. Although mine does help pay my mortgage.’ He owns (courtesy of a Dior Homme campaign) a house in Notting Hill where he lives with a flatmate. They went to a Pilates class last night, where they were the only boys. He used to play rugby; now he works out only once a week. He’s not precious about his looks. On nights out, the Golden Torso opens beer bottles with his teeth. In a bar in Clapham a few years ago someone broke his perfect nose with a headbutt. And it was National Courtesy Day!’ he says, outraged.

When I go out with my mates, we’re a big group of Belfast boys and at the end of a night we can get a little, you know, hyper-active. But I tend to get my sensible head on and can be quite strict with them, like, “Calm down, lads.” Which is why they call me Daddy Dornan.’

Daddy Dornan is going to be a role model for underwear hopefuls this month when he’s judging the Calvin Klein Underwear male model competition. I’ll probably help them find someone that puts me out of a contract,’ he says. Runners-up get a year’s supply of Calvin Klein underwear. It seems a job wasted on a straight guy, though doubtless Dornan will do it gracefully.

He is often told how well he passes for straight. The amount of people who think I’m gay is astounding.’ From 2003 to 2005 he stepped out with Keira Knightley, an affair both of them refuse to talk about to the press. When they split, he was quoted as saying, The man is meant to be the alpha in the relationship on the money and power front and clearly I was not,’ but when I put that to him he cringes. That was taken totally out of context. I didn’t mean that.’ Since Keira he has, as the tabloids put it, been linked with a string of beautiful women’. Which is hilarious, since I’ve never even met half of them. My friends ring up asking why I didn’t tell them I was going out with Kate Moss? And I’m like, “I’m not! I worked with her for half a day, that’s it.” Honestly, I don’t do love affairs.

That’s the most embarrassing thing about the whole situation. I never pull.’ What about older would-be seducers? His most recent movie, the languorous Shadows in the Sun, a British independent film directed by David Rocksavage, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, hinted at a time-defying romance between him and Jean Simmons, 80, the screen legend who appeared alongside Deborah Kerr in Powell and Pressburger’s Black Narcissus in 1947. I did fall a bit in love with her, actually,’ he says.

In real life, he recalls one recent emergency situation with an older woman at a dinner in London. There was lots of me going, “Oh, really?” and turning away, and mouthing at my friends for help, and lots of her pulling at my shoulder and asking, “Would you like some of my drink?” No way, I don’t know what you’ve put in it!’

Instead, he goes to bed with a book. He’s currently ploughing through modern American classics such as John Fante’s Ask the Dust, and has just finished Ayn Rand’s capitalist masterpiece The Fountainhead, which was incredible, although Ayn Rand wouldn’t be my favourite person to be around, politically’. An all-time favourite is The Picture of Dorian Gray. He was desperate to play the role in Oliver Parker’s forthcoming adaptation, but lost out to Ben Barnes (Chronicles of Narnia’s Prince Caspian).

I don’t understand people who don’t read,’ he says. It’s like, what else are they doing?’ He also says he doesn’t understand people who get fat. Why don’t they eat less? There’s a strict Protestant heredity at work here. On both sides of his family, his grand-parents were Methodist lay-preachers. His father considered being an actor – won a place at RADA, even – but become an obstetrician. I struggle with the whole religious idea myself, but my mother found faith again when she was dying and I totally respect that.’

She died of pancreatic cancer when he was 16. The following year, four of his friends were killed in a car crash. I had a terrible time when I was 16, 17,’ he says. Therapy got me through that, actually; I’m not sure how I would have coped without it. It’s awful to say this but it’s almost better that I went through that early on because it’s prepared me for situations that might arise later in life.’ Then he thinks again. Actually I don’t know that it did, it’s just some shit that happened.’

There’s a thread of sadness that recurs in conversation with Jamie Dornan. I don’t keep a diary any more because I used to scare myself when I re-read it. You just learn stuff about yourself that maybe you don’t need to know…’ He tells me how he discovered he was distantly related to Greer Garson, the actress who won an Oscar in 1942 for Mrs Miniver (he is her great-nephew), and wrote to her as a stage-struck teen, but two days after writing the letter he heard her death announced on the radio. He recently re-read all the classics from his youth: Swallows
and Amazons, Tom Sawyer and Peter Pan, because they must have shaped me in an important way, but I wasn’t sure how.’

He’s very protective’ of his two sisters, even though they’re older than him. One is expecting her first child and that’s the most exciting thing in my life at the moment, to be honest. I’m going to be the best uncle in the world, that’s the plan anyway. I can’t wait. I get broody even when I see stranger’s babies.’ If you say so, Daddy Dornan. We may be a step away from an Athena poster here. If only he would take his top off one last time.

There’s finally Jamie news, as well. An an interview with Holly Valance she mentions doing a short film with Jamie.

The 25-year-old revealed she’ll next be seen in a short film with Keira Knightley’s ex-boyfriend Jamie Dornan. “I just did a short film called Ex Returns with Jamie Dornan which should be out in the next few months,” she said.

Burberry Creative Director Christopher Bailey last night co-hosted a private dinner to celebrate GQ Style: The British Issue at Theo Randall at the Intercontinental on London’s Park Lane.

The intimate dinner, co-hosted by Dylan Jones and David Bradshaw from GQ Style, was attended by musicians George Craig, Will Cameron, Kristian Walker, Jonny Epstein and Jamie Dornan and actors Simon Woods, Dominic Cooper, Nicholas Hoult, Jack Houston and Tom Hiddlestone.

Also in attendance were face of Burberry The Beat fragrance Agyness Deyn, models Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Daisy Lowe and actresses Tamsin Egerton and Andrea Riseborough.

Guests wearing Burberry included Will Cameron, George Craig, Jonny Epstein, Simon Woods, Jenson Button, Jesse Wood, Nicholas Hoult, Jamie Dornan, Agyness Deyn, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Tamsin Egerton, Daisy Lowe and Andrea Riseborough.

Guests were served a bespoke British menu, created by British chef Theo Randall.

Burberry is pleased to be celebrating menswear publication GQ Style: The British Issue. Burberry has a rich heritage in providing functional menswear dating from the company’s foundation in 1856.

As soon as I know more I’ll post.

Last season they turned up the heat for fashion label Aquascutum on location at the quintessentially British Cliveden House and this season, Gisele Bundchen and Jamie Dornan are back to do the same for the brand – this time posing against the scenic backdrop of London’s St Paul’s Cathedral.

“I love the passionate electricity; power is such an aphrodisiac,” Aquascutum’s ceo Kim Winser tells today’s Daily Telegraph of the images, which will appear in magazines next month.

But it’s not just the images you need to get excited about – the label has reportedly teamed up with accessories designer Sara Porro to create, for the first time, a collection of bags for both men and women, something which Winser explains is “a development with huge potential.”

High Point Films, the film sales division of Carey Fitzgerald’s London based High Point Media Group, has acquired international sales rights to David Rocksavage’s “Shadows in the Sun” and has sold Hanro Smitsman’s “Skin” to Ascot Elite, Germany. “Shadows” stars the Oscar nominated Jean Simmons, as well as James Wilby and Jamie Dornan. The film follows the story of a man who visits his mother on the Norfolk coast and finds himself concerned with her relationship with a mysterious young man. “Skin,” based on true events, is Smitsman’s first feature, having previously won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale for his short, “Klaas.” “Skin” details the Nazi skinhead movement and focuses on Frankie, a teenage son of Jewish Holocaust survivor who slowly gets roped in. High Point also picked up world sales for “Summer Heat,” a Dutch romantic thriller about a magazine photographer who falls in love with a mysterious woman connected to gangsters. Fitzgerald said in a statement, “‘Shadows in the Sun’ is a moving, beautifully realized and ultimately redemptive film about family, memory, forgiveness and love.” Regarding “Skin” and “Summer Heat,” he said the film represented “some of the most exciting talent, both established and fresh, coming out of Holland today.”

High Point Films, the film sales division of Carey Fitzgerald’s London based High Point Media Group, has acquired international sales rights to David Rocksavage’s “Shadows in the Sun” and has sold Hanro Smitsman’s “Skin” to Ascot Elite, Germany. “Shadows” stars the Oscar nominated Jean Simmons, as well as James Wilby and Jamie Dornan. The film follows the story of a man who visits his mother on the Norfolk coast and finds himself concerned with her relationship with a mysterious young man. “Skin,” based on true events, is Smitsman’s first feature, having previously won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale for his short, “Klaas.” “Skin” details the Nazi skinhead movement and focuses on Frankie, a teenage son of Jewish Holocaust survivor who slowly gets roped in. High Point also picked up world sales for “Summer Heat,” a Dutch romantic thriller about a magazine photographer who falls in love with a mysterious woman connected to gangsters. Fitzgerald said in a statement, “‘Shadows in the Sun’ is a moving, beautifully realized and ultimately redemptive film about family, memory, forgiveness and love.” Regarding “Skin” and “Summer Heat,” he said the film represented “some of the most exciting talent, both established and fresh, coming out of Holland today.”

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ winner Barry McGuigan and runner up, singer Paul Young, are set to reunite for Edge Films food series ‘The Fabulous Food Adventure’, being shot for UTV.

The episode will profile the artisan food producers of Co Down, and see the pair collect local produce to create a three course meal to be named as the county’s signature dish.

Each episode of the 6 x 23” will see familiar faces visit local food suppliers in Northern Ireland.

Names already confirmed for the series, produced by John Norton and Deirdre McNally of Edge Films, include celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, Irish model / actor Jamie Dornan (Marie Antoinette), Northern Irish chef Jenny Bristow, actor Adrian Dunbar (The Whistleblowers, Mickybo and Me) and food critic and chef Tamasin Day-Lewis (sister of actor Daniel Day-Lewis).

The first episode of the series, featuring chef Antony Worral Thompson, model Rosanna Davison and GAA star Oisin McConville, was filmed in late 2007 with the rest of the series shooting from June – August this year. Post-production will be completed by Dublin’s Lotus Films.

“With this series, we want to encourage people to buy local produce and get them back cooking with fresh ingredients,” says McNally. “We want to highlight the great local food suppliers the North has to offer. Around 90% of the food we buy is imported, and we want people to recognize the great ingredients available on their doorstep.”

Pre-production is already underway for another Edge Films’ series ‘The Celtic Food Adventure’, which will celebrate the food of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and France.

‘The Fabulous Food Adventure’ will air in UTV in September this year.

Jamie Dornan, 25, model

Don’t hesitate – buy

‘When I see something I like in a vintage shop, I hide it. I saw this great Beach Boys T-shirt for £12 in Beyond Retro in London and hid it with the jackets. I went back just in time to see some guy pick it up, hold it up to himself and bloody buy it.’

Ignore naysayers

‘I bought a brown suit in Belfast’s Rusty Nail just to spite my friends really, who said it was nasty. I grew to love it.’

Comfort comes from age

‘Vintage clothes feel nicer when they’re worn in a bit. They’re just … softer.’

Beware of pits

‘There are downsides to wearing vintage clothes, of course. I’ve had a couple of shirts with bad armpit situations.’

Measure yourself

‘Buying on eBay is always tricky. I bought a T-shirt that ended up being a belly top. Which was a bit of a shame.’

The much cherished Hammer Horror film franchise is back with a very 21st-century tale of vampires.

Hammer Horror is back from the dead. Thirty-two years after its last diabolical despatch from the dark side (Christopher Lee disgracing the cloth as a heretic priest in To the Devil… a Daughter), one of the most cherished franchises in British film history is about to return with Beyond the Rave, a blood-spattered tale of vampires on the rampage among hardcore dance fans.

And, while the setting is bang-up-to-date (it’s infused, too, with allusions to the conflict in Iraq), the film is also at the cutting edge of distribution technology. It will be presented in 20 five-minute “webisodes” on the social networking website MySpace, before an eventual release on DVD, and will also be available to download.

A fresh-faced cast, including Jamie Dornan (Marie Antoinette) and Nora-Jane Noone (The Descent) in the lead roles, is augmented by cameo appearances by Sadie Frost, who appeared in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Dracula, and 70-year-old Hammer Horror stalwart Ingrid Pitt (best remembered for The Vampire Lovers).

Veteran DJ/producer Pete Tong is credited with “curating” the music for the film.

Beyond the Rave is the story of Ed (Dornan), a British soldier due to fly out to Iraq, who spends his last day of freedom searching for his missing girlfriend (Noone), last seen in the company of a dubious band of rave devotees. He ends up at a dance party deep in a remote forest in the dead of night. There will be blood. Lots of it.

Dornan says he enjoyed the contrast with his previous role as Count Fersen in Sofia Coppola’s lavish biopic of the high-spirited French queen. “I had just come out of a nice family period drama, and that was partly why I wanted to do something like Beyond the Rave. I was also intrigued by the whole webisode thing.

“The shoot felt a lot faster than anything I’d done before. There was a real buzz on set because everything was so speedy. But then, if you’re going to make an impression in a five-minute episode, it’s got to be pretty sharp. It was new territory for everyone.”

And what about the lashings of gore and the ultra-violence? “Well, it was quite hard to take it seriously when you’re being attacked by a mad vampire wielding two samurai swords.”

Which again is in sharp contrast to Dornan’s next movie – the “all very pretty” Shadows in the Sun, due later this year and featuring the luminous, legendary Jean Simmons in the lead role.

The director of Beyond the Rave, Matthias Hoene, was faced with a variety of challenges in making the film, but a life-long love of Hammer helped him through his long, dark night of the lost souls. “I grew up watching Hammer,” he says. “It was always exciting to see that mix of horror and sexiness.”

The responsibility of bringing the franchise to 21st-century audiences is, he says, “massive”. “On the one hand there are the old fans who will always think that something new won’t be as good.

But we really wanted to do something fresh that would capture a young audience, so we set out to tell a story that’s thrilling and sexy and a bit shocking.”

In the end, he pushed the envelope a little too far and had to cut a couple of scenes (involving something he describes as “munching”) that were deemed unsuitable for MySpace, even though the site will be sticking to a rolling global watershed when the streaming starts. (The offending footage will, the director promises, be restored for the DVD release.)

However, the biggest problems Hoene faced during production stemmed from the restrictions imposed by the webisode format. “Normally in a feature film, you would spend the first 10 or 15 minutes setting up the characters and the background.

But in this project we had to ensure that every five minutes there would be character development, thrills, fun – the whole package that you’d expect from a full-length film. And, of course, not every episode could end in a cliffhanger – that would be too forced.”

But is there a danger that this sort of filmmaking becomes merely bite-sized entertainment? “I don’t think so,” says Hoene. “If you want to watch something short during your break or while you’re on the bus, if you want to be entertained for just a little while, it’s perfect.

“This is just another way of telling stories. Dickens wrote serialised stories – were they bad for being short? It can be a great format.”

Hoene is a passionate defender of the genre, too. “What I love about horror,” he says, “is that you can take certain serious subjects – political, social – and talk about them in an entertaining way that would be impossible in another sort of drama. You can deliver messages in a horror film that you couldn’t otherwise.

“If you made a straight film about genetic experiments, for instance, no one would go to see it. If you made a horror film with the same theme, a lot of people might. Do it intelligently and you’ll get your message across.”

Its presence on the internet affords Beyond the Rave a huge potential audience. “There is a real global element to it,” says Jamie Kantrowitz, a senior vice president at MySpace. “It is going to be released in 18 countries, in nine languages, at the same time.

“MySpace has 110m users worldwide, and this film is going to hit 90 per cent of our user base at some point or another.

“We are taking a traditional distribution format and turning it on its head. We’re not saying you have to sit and watch [the film] collectively; we’re saying that when you like it, you’re going to take it and make it your own, then your friends will find it. It’s like having a film on 110m cinema screens.”

Simon Oakes, Hammer Films chief and executive producer of Beyond the Rave, dismisses the suggestion that the joint project with MySpace is simply a marketing exercise. “This was not designed cynically; it was designed creatively,” he says.

“And it is not about the death of cinema. It’s actually the reverse. It is about making film available to people who don’t watch movies that often.

“Since the advent of DVD and the internet, cinema audiences have not decreased, they’ve gone up. The internet is a fantastic way of promoting motion pictures – just look at Cloverfield [the blockbuster that established a worldwide fanbase on the net months before it reached the big screen].

“People keep asking if doing Beyond the Rave means Hammer isn’t going to make feature films. The answer is no: our core business is feature films. However, it is essential that we become known to a younger generation.

“Hammer’s heyday was at a time when there was a real can-do attitude in British filmmaking,” says Oakes. And, with the rise of the internet as a means of distribution, he believes, there’s plenty of life in the undead yet.

‘Beyond the Rave’ will be broadcast on MySpaceTV from April 2. The DVD will be released in June.