Jamie Dornan Says He Lost Superman Role to Henry Cavill and Has Approached Marvel for a Superhero Role

“I’m more ambitious than I’ve ever let on before,” Jamie Dornan told The New York Times in a new interview

Jamie Dornan Henry Cavil
Jamie Dornan (left); Henry Cavill. Photo: getty (2)

Jamie Dornan has his sights set on a superhero role.

The actor spoke to The New York Times in an interview published on Thursday and revealed he lost out on the role of Superman to Henry Cavill. Despite missing out on the opportunity, Dornan said he has met with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige about joining the MCU.

"I'm more ambitious than I've ever let on before," Dornan said, crediting his drive to becoming a father. "It's like a necessity to deliver and provide, very caveman-esque: I must succeed for these precious little people."

He added, "Also, since my dad died, it's lit this extra fire within me, this extra burner of wanting to succeed."

Dornan also reflected on walking the tightrope between being involved in potentially two franchises, Fifty Shades of Grey and a possible Marvel or DC movie. The actor admitted he admired Robert Pattinson, a friend of his, for having gracefully segued from Twilight to The Batman.

"I would be lying if I didn't admit that I feel like him and his people have played it really cleverly," Dornan said. "Everything he's done since Twilight has been really smart and beautifully crafted, and those films aren't financed on his name had he not been in these movies that made billions of dollars."

Belfast
Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds in Belfast. Rob Youngson/Focus Features

Dornan's own filmography has included an array of diverse roles since Fifty Shades from The Fall, A Private War, Wild Mountain Thyme, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and, now, Belfast.

The story, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, is told through the eyes of a young boy growing up in Ireland during the tumultuous late 1960s. Dornan and Caitríona Balfe play the young boy's parents.

Described as "a poignant story of love, laughter and loss in one boy's childhood, amid the music and social tumult of the late 1960s," the film tells the story of how the family's life is changed by the upheaval around them. The family contemplates leaving their home forever amid the "civil war" that's broken out in the streets.

The movie is based on Branagh's own experiences growing up in Ireland as a young boy.

Belfast, which also stars Judi Dench, Ciarán Hinds, Lewis McAskie and Jude Hill, is now playing in theaters.

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