Natalie Dormer was always "jealous" of the actors who worked with her fiance.
The 36-year-old star was happy to collaborate with writer-and-director Anthony Byrne on their new thriller ‘In Darkness’ – in which she plays a blind pianist who overhears a murder – because she’d wanted to collaborate with her partner for some time as she thinks he’s very good at his job.
She told Radio Times magazine: "We’ve always made a point of visiting each other’s sets and watching each other work…
"I wanted to make ‘In Darkness’ with him because I’d watched him for years and I was jealous of the other actors.
"I was like, ‘He’s a really great director.’
"And I can only assume he thought I was alright as an actress or he wouldn’t have employed me."
The former ‘Game of Thrones’ actress was compelled to write the movie because she was tired of being offered period pieces and felt there was a real lack of strong female roles.
She admitted: "I had no desire to get into a corset again.
"Why I started writing ‘In Darkness’ was because there was a dearth, as I saw it, of three-dimensional, fleshed out, anti-heroines – you know, flawed female roles."
However, Natalie does think things are beginning to change for the better in that respect.
She said: "It’s not as quick as we would all like it to be, of course it’s not, but I’d rather lean into the positive."
While the actress was keen to work with her partner on their new movie, she recently admitted writing with him was harder than she’d expected and isn’t something they’re in a rush to do again.
She said: "Couples say terrible things to each other that you would never say to your best friend. We learned very quickly that we couldn’t write in the same room. Doors got slammed at various points and I wouldn’t necessarily rush into writing with Anthony again, but I have huge respect for him."
But when it came to shooting the movie, Natalie had a very different experience with her partner.
She said: "He pulls out the best in me as an actress. We were simpatico and it was beautiful."
Natalie Dormer’s director jealousy
