Jamie Dornan calls into question the ‘triple threat ‘myth

J amie Dornan, the Northern Irish actor, model, and musician seemingly epitomizes the highly-prized image of that ever elusive multi-talented – three times talented to be precise – artist aptly named the ‘triple threat’. Gifted in more than one discipline, this artistic unicorn is imagined to contribute in some notable way across the areas of talent bestowed upon them. As inner-warmth inducing as this ideal of a human may be, many who appear to live up to this ill-conceived podium of achievement do nothing but show the farce that is the ‘triple threat’. We all like to imagine ourselves to be unlimited in our potential to achieve anything we put our minds to; and certainly; with the grueling effort, unremitting dedication and plentiful hours duly put it in that is an assured outcome. But it’s these very requisites that also make it rather problematic to excel at more than one endeavor at a time, since splitting ones attention across ‘talents’ as it were guarantees that you’ll be very less brilliant at one thing than you are at another at the same time. And many of these so endearingly called triple threats ply their abilities simultaneously, with only one ability showing ascendancy over the others, if at all; the most disastrous display of the triple threat gone wrong of course being uniform mediocrity. Sure, Jamie Dornan and other artists on whom the ideal has been foisted may only consider themselves talented in one discipline with the others being whipped out when the desire or need arises. It would be a positive move towards celebrating and fostering true greatness and exceptional talent if artists out rightly repudiated this obvious attempt at bolstering their celebrity.