How agreeable are you?

I am very agreeable. I want to please people. The worst thing for me is to upset somebody. When it comes to agreeing to something, I am always up for it if someone else is too. I mean, if someone says, “Let’s just jump off this bridge together,” I’ll say: “Yeah, lets do it.” If it’s daredevil stuff I will always do it. If somebody says, “Will we do this?” I always say yes.

What is your middle name and what do you think of it?

My middle name is Jordon. Now that I am older and I get bills to my house it’s funny when I get a letter and Jordon is spelt like Jordan, with an A. I want to say “Who’s that guy?” But I love my middle name. If there was another actor called Jack Rowan, I would have been happy to have gone by Jordon Rowan.

Where is your favourite place in Ireland?

My grandparents’ house in Co Tyrone. There is no other place that I feel so safe or loved. My dad is from there, and I loved visiting his family. When you look at a map of the world and you’re looking at certain places I zoom into Co Tyrone and the house and I feel like that’s where I belong.

My second favourite place is Coral Strand in Connemara, Co Galway. My last job was filmed there by the coast. Me and my girlfriend drove up and down the Wild Atlantic Way and parked up and watched the sunset. It was just beautiful.

Describe yourself in three words

Compassionate. I’ve been an actor now for 10 years and you get the luxury of meeting people from everywhere. You’re playing different types of characters and meeting new people and I think that makes you compassionate. I owe acting a lot that way – and I think I’m kind and caring.

What is your strongest childhood memory?

Playing with my WWE wrestlers. I grew up in the time before kids had phones. I spent a lot of time playing with the only toys I had, which was my WWE wrestlers. It was a world in and of itself. I did storylines, accents, just getting lost in the imagination of it all. I didn’t know it was my introduction to storytelling. Subconsciously it was showing me where my future was going to go.

What have you lost that you would like to have back?

I suppose as an adult you lose your innocence. You kind of miss the bliss of waking up in the morning and not having adult worries.

Where do you come in your family’s birth order and has it defined you?

I have an older sister. She is eight years older. When I was 10, she was 18. What was great about that dynamic is we never had that period when we fought. I looked up to her as someone who had the answers. Almost like a second mum. When she got older all her friends would come over and she would let me come into the room and we’d all watch movies. It opened up my mind being around older people. I felt like they always had my back.

[ From the archive: Boys from County Hell a decent slice of Irish bog horrorOpens in new window ]

When do you think you were happiest?

I strive for happiness all the time. I am an optimistic person. But sometimes things happen that are out of your control. That is always ebbing and flowing. But on my last job filming in Connemara, swimming in the sea, and travelling around. I had a few days off and we just had so much exploring. I was just so happy to be in Ireland.

What do you think happens when we die?

I think it’s a luxury in life to love people and miss them when they’re gone. When it’s my time to go I would love a moment to tie up any loose ends, to meet those people I have lost and hug them and see them again. To finish my life with no lose ends and tie it all up.

Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life?

It’s ridiculous how many people say I look like Matt Dillon. He’s older than me but I’m going to cheat with my answer. I’m going to flip it and say Matt Dillon, if he was younger than me.

What is your biggest career/personal regret?

When I was a kid I did karate. I was really good at it and it was getting really serious. I don’t know why but one day I burst into tears and begged my mum not to bring me and I never went back. It was just a loose end, and I would love nothing more than to say right now that I had a black belt. I loved The Karate Kid growing up. If I did a karate movie that would be a great excuse to start again. There’s still time.