What would you do if you woke up in the hospital with no memory of who you? And you were all alone in a foreign country trying to unravel the mystery of what the hell just happened to you? That's the question HBO Max's newest thriller series The Tourist seeks to answer, but unlike other titles in the genre, the Jamie Dornan starrer does a great job of injecting dark comedy and humor where you wouldn't even expect it.
"After being run off the road, a man wakes up in an Australian hospital with amnesia," the series' official description reads. "A single clue starts him along a frantic journey to remember who he is and why someone wants him dead. In the small town of Burnt Ridge, any news is big news, and not everyone can be trusted. Shifting alliances, uncertain connections, and dark truths lurk just within reach, as the harsh conditions of the Australian outback set the stage for a painful reckoning."
Out got the chance to speak with "The Man" himself, Belfast alum Jamie Dornan, as well as his co-star and Aussie actress Danielle Macdonald (who plays officer Helen Chambers) to talk about talk a more unconventional, and oftentimes humorous approach, to the thriller.
"That was one of the biggest draws for me with this series," Dornan told Out when asked about the balancing act the show does of including both drama and humor effortlessly into the storyline. "Not only just drama and comedy but a million different tones and genres are mixed into this. I feel like just when you think you know what the craic is with the tone of it, it's jarred out of your understanding and it's suddenly becomes something other. A lot of time when humor comes in, it comes in at really unexpected, dark moments, and I think life is like that in many ways. So that was a big draw for me, and being able to play someone who got to express all those different sides to him, and be surrounded by other people who are being funny in very obscure moments. It was definitely one of the big reasons why I wanted to take it on."
'That was one of my favorite parts," Macdonald added. "I really, really love how genre bending [The Tourist] is. I love that it doesn't follow just a typical formula. I love that you're surprised at every turn. I love that as an actor, you get to explore so many different genres. You get to have fun. You get to really cry and laugh, and really just be anxious and get to have a little bit of action. It's really fun to explore as an actor, and as a viewer."
The Tourist is now streaming on HBO Max.
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