Dominic Cooper may be king in Warcraft, but Travis Fimmel still flung horse poo his way

HE’S king in the new movie, Warcraft, yet Dominic Cooper’s co-stars weren’t so impressed. He even had horse poo thrown at him — by an Aussie of course.

“IT is good to be king,” declares Dominic Cooper. “At last!”

The Englishman has been crowned for the new movie Warcraft: The Beginning, an adaptation of the online gaming sensation in which humans battle orcs, mages weave spells and giant gryphons carry soldiers into battle.

Cooper’s King Llane may be a mere human, but he is resplendent in full medieval armour with a golden helmet that makes it look as if the actor has been swallowed feet-first by a lion.

The experience, laughs Cooper, was akin to being “a kid at a fancy dress party — that’s managed to get a really good fancy dress outfit.”

Yet his subjects — otherwise known as his co-stars — weren’t so impressed with His Majesty.

“I gained no respect being a king, whatsoever! Travis Fimmel was throwing large lumps of horse poo at my face, just as an example of how little respect I gained.”

Cooper resplendent in his “really good fancy dress outfit” as King Llane on the Warcraft movie poster. Picture: Universal Pictures

Given that poo was chucked by an Australian, it was probably a sign of affection.

“Yeah, Travis said that. That was meant to make me feel better,” Cooper says, looking sceptical. “Good to know, though.”

Cooper was one of several young Brits who broke through with the stage production and subsequent film of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys (along with his good mate James Corden).

The 38-year-old has since become one of those rare actors who moves seamlessly between art house fare (An Education, My Week With Marilyn, The Devil’sDouble) and large-scale blockbusters (he was Tony Stark’s dad in Captain America: The First Avenger).

Warcraft, which blended elaborate sets with lashings of CGI and motion-capture, definitely falls into the latter category. And making such films, says Cooper, is an art in itself.

“In absolute honesty, what you have to do is be patient in that it’s bitty — they’re filmed in bits. So you have to come in with the right energy at a moment’s notice. That’s just the nature of it because you’re dealing with men in pyjamas and a set that’s going to be recreated afterwards (in a computer).

Cooper’s King demands respect from his subjects in Warcraft: The Beginning. Picture: Universal Pictures

“So it’s a very different discipline. But it’s an exciting one because you have to raise the bar and change your idea of what your focus is when you’re at work.”

Though never much of a gamer himself (“I was gaming when two small blocks on either side of the screen would hit a ball around ...”), Cooper was won over by director Duncan Jones, who he says “lives and breathes the world of science fiction and fantasy”.

A bit Lord of the Rings, a bit Clash of the Titans, a bit Harry Potter, Warcraft begins with a horde of orcs fleeing their dying planet for another — Azeroth. But the humans of Azeroth, led by King Llane, are not about to let their home be taken by force.

By the King’s side is a great warrior, Lothar (the aforementioned poo-chucker, Fimmel), the realm’s magical guardian Medivh (Ben Foster) and Llane’s queen, who just happens to be played by Cooper’s girlfriend of seven years, Irish actor Ruth Negga.

Cooper with his partner and co-star Ruth Negga at the Warcraft premiere in Hollywood on June 6 (Mike Windle/Getty Images/AFP)

Still, the fate of Azeroth ultimately rests with its king.

“Yes, it’s (based on) a computer game and yes it’s a fantastical story,” says Cooper, “but you watch the news at the moment and you see people’s lands being taken over and you see these huge, great diplomatic decisions that are being made on how best to handle the situation ...

“And that’s what King Llane is going through.”

WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING OPENS THURSDAY

(JUNE 16)

Originally published as Dominic Cooper may be king in Warcraft, but Travis Fimmel still flung horse poo his way