Stan Original Series The Tourist came out swinging with a high-paced second season on January 1 and while there were many new characters to add to Elliot (Jamie Dornan) and Helen (Danielle Macdonald)’s chaotic world, there was none bigger than the country of Ireland.
In season one, the Aussie Outback set the stage for the two characters to be thrust into each other’s paths; however, this time, the Emerald Isle — Dornan’s native country — became the backdrop, with filming taking place primarily in Dublin, County Wicklow and the Wicklow Mountains.
Speaking on Mediaweek and Chattr’s The Entertainment Hotline Podcast, Macdonald admitted that it “felt like Ireland” was now “a character in the show”.
“We were very entwined in this little Irish world and town,” she said. “They [the characters] fit kind of perfectly, [but for] Helen, she now kind of feels out of place, being the Australian in Ireland.”
Danielle Macdonald, The Tourist. Stan
Admitting this new setting was “fun to play with”, the 32-year-old added that this was “an entirely different” ballgame.
“Now she’s [become] a tourist in Ireland,” she said. “It’s cool how they [creators] do that. They’re always throwing characters for loops based on the world [they’re in]. And they make that a big central part of the story.”
The new characters helped to bring the thrilling story of The Tourist to life
If you’ve already binged the second instalment, like Macdonald, you’ll most likely agree that “the characters help bring to life” the gripping storyline including a host of new characters to devour.
As Elliot searched for answers, we were met with Detective Ruairi Slater (Conor MacNeill), Niamh Cassidy (Olwen Fouéré) and the McDonnell family – Donal (Diarmaid Murtagh), Orla (Nessa Matthews), Fergal (Mark McKenna), and Frank (Francis Magee).
Jamie Dornan Olwen Fouéré, The Tourist. Stan
“The cast of actors that we got to work with is incredible,” Macdonald said of the new additions. “They’re so funny. Really good, great Irish actors. It was really fun to work with them all.”
In addition to this, being Dornan’s home base, he brought a familiarity to the filming, given that “he was friends with half the crew already”.
“One of his best friends was one of the other actors on set,” she revealed. “I was like, ‘How do you know each other?’ and he’s like, ‘We’ve worked on like six jobs together’.
“It was like, wow! So, I really was the Australian thrown into the mix!”
Dornan, The Tourist. Stan
Danielle Macdonald on working with Jamie Dornan again
Macdonald, who was born and raised in Sydney, has worked with some of the biggest celebrities in the world including Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Toni Collette, Natasha Lyonne and Evan Peters to name a few.
However, when it comes to her Tourist co-star Dornan, “he’s been one of her favourite people to work with”.
“We knew each other from season one and we get along great,” she admitted. “It was always so easy and we work very similarly. In season two, we got to know each other even better and got even closer.
“I think trust is just so key when you’re doing so many like integral scenes.”
The “integral scenes” Macdonald is referring to are the more intimate scenes now that Elliot and Helen are an item, but are not exclusive in the physical sense.
“In any kind of scene that’s emotionally intimate or physically intimate, you want trust, essentially and we had that in spades,” she said.
“He’s honestly such a gentleman…and he’s just so conscious of other people. He always likes to give a helping hand and he’s just, he’s just a really, really, good dude!”
Macdonald and Dornan., The Tourist. Stan
Listen to the full episode with Danielle Macdonald on The Entertainment Hotline Podcast.
The brand new season of the Stan Original Series The Tourist is now streaming, only on Stan. Every episode of season one is now streaming, only on Stan.