All images courtesy of Moncler

WHEN JAMIE DORNAN’S face first appears on the screen during our Zoom call, he’s bathed in light. Or maybe bathed isn’t quite the right word. It’s more like he’s bombarded, the sun hitting him squarely in the face as he attempts to adjust his angle away from the glare.

He’s on vacation with the family and “as relaxed as I can be with three kids,” he says. Where in the world is he, I inquire, that would have him seeking refuge from the onslaught of UV rays directed at his eyeballs?

“In Ireland!” he laughs. It’s a fitting getaway location for the 43-year-old actor, who grew up in Belfast before making his way across the water to London, where he began his career as a model in the early 2000s. But, being part of the famously dreary British Isles, it’s not exactly the sort of spot where you’d expect aggressive sunlight to pose a problem in the early spring.

That said, the sense of subverted expectations is on theme for our discussion. We are, after all, talking to one another because Dornan is the face of a bright, playful new summer campaign from one of the most famous cold-weather brands in the world: Moncler. Dubbed “Puffy Summer,” the campaign features Dornan dressed in lightweight layers and reinterpreted icons—think a featherweight vest instead of a big puffer jacket—from the label.

Throughout the course of our conversation, we dive into his first experiences with Moncler, his style past and present, and a 2026 that’s stuffed with new releases from Dornan. Read on for the (condensed and edited) highlights, from playing identical twins in The Undertow to his time on set during Michael Cera’s directorial debut—not to mention his ongoing quest to achieve “cool dad” style.

On whether he’s a “style guy”:

“I guess potentially, but only because I’ve been in and around it for nearly 25 years. I think I have a much better sense of style and what works for me than I would’ve had I not become a model at 20 and then become an actor and kept doing major campaigns whilst being an actor. So I’m maybe more stylish than some of my mates from Belfast who didn’t have a similar career path—not to throw them under the bus. But I’m not into it to the point of being statement-y. I have no interest in peacocking. The older I get, having three kids, ‘cool dad’ will work for me. Even ‘semi-cool dad.’ I’ll take that.

“For me, style is comfort. I know what works for me. And when you see people wearing stuff that is in or it’s part of the zeitgeist or a trend but they don’t look comfortable in it, it’s really obvious. Like, Geez, you look like you’re not having a good time wearing that stuff. I never want to be that person. I always want to feel myself.”

On working with Moncler:

“I’ve skied my whole life, since I was seven probably, and I’ve always been very aware of the brand—the visibility it has within that world, being in very beautiful places with lots of cool-looking people wearing it. I bought my first-ever Moncler piece about 15 or 20 years ago: a puffy hoodie, like a layer that you’d wear under a ski jacket. And I remember feeling like, ‘Ooh, I’ve made it,’ because I was buying this piece for myself.

“I was really intrigued to see what they were planning to do with a summer collection—which they’ve obviously never done one like this before—because they’re so synonymous with winter attire and puffy coats. And as soon as I saw some of the outfits and the brief for the campaign, I was like, ‘I’m in.’ I immediately loved it. I loved the playfulness of it. I loved the colors. But it still felt very much like Moncler.”

On shooting the campaign:

“It was honestly about as fun and easy a campaign as I’ve ever been involved with. I’ve had 24 years of doing this in different guises. You get a lot of people on set—a lot of different voices and opinions—and it eats up time. But they were so secure in what they wanted. I mean, we finished early because everyone just felt so confident that we’d got what we wanted. I remember getting home and saying to my wife, ‘That was the easiest time I’ve ever had working in that kind of world—that kind of campaign world.’ It was an absolute joy.”

On doing SNL UK:

“It was the most stressful week of my life but ultimately really rewarding. As soon as I admitted to the cast how scared I was—and they told me how scared they were—it was much easier. I was like, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ And then the moment I really knew it was going to be okay was the dress rehearsal with the live audience. Because by the end of the week, you’re doing these jokes for people who work there who have heard them a million times, and they’re not laughing. You’re thinking, Shit, is this funny? Is any of this good?

“And then you get an audience and it’s a totally different experience. They’re laughing and you feed off it; it becomes fizzy and exciting. I mean, it’s two hours before the show, but I was like, Oh right, okay, it’s going to be okay. It’s funny.”

On working with Michael Cera and Pamela Anderson in Love Is Not the Answer:

“Pamela Anderson is one of the sweetest, most shy, humble, lovely people that I’ve ever met. It’s really her movie; she’s carrying so much of it. And it’s a big departure from anything that people have seen her do before, even with the great work she’s been doing in the last few years. People are really going to be surprised at what she does in this movie. It’s quirky. It’s odd. Michael Cera’s quirky and odd, and I hope it lands with people. I think they’ll really, really love it.”

On his upcoming Apple TV and Netflix shows:

“The first is with Skydance and Apple, it’s called 12 12 12. It’s myself and Anthony Mackie, and it’s a sort of cat-and-mouse heist thriller that spans a couple of different continents. It was an incredible shoot at Budapest and an amazing experience. I did a movie with Anthony about eight years ago; I know him well, so that was really fun.

“And then I have a Netflix show called The Undertow. I play identical twins, and it’s probably only once in my career that I’ll be able to do that. Not a lot of actors get to do it. So I feel privileged but also terrified because you want it to work so much. And you need it to work. You need to put enough work into both human beings—no matter how alike they might be—that they feel like totally different entities. There’s a pressure there just before you even begin.

“But I feel good about it. Because I know I’ll probably only do it once in my career, I was really trying to embrace it and enjoy it. I was like, This is mad and you’ve got to let this sink in and enjoy every moment of this opportunity.”

This article originally appeared in Esquire US.

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