Waiting on the line to talk to one of the finer-looking actors on the planet was a nerve-stretching experience, but when the animated Irish tones of Aidan Turner greeted me from Dublin, I knew the conversation would flow, especially when he asked if I was in ''Otago, as in the lovely wine region''.
Turner's fame has risen sharply since the remake of the 1970s hit Poldark appeared on British screens in March, where it was an instant success, pulling in 7 million-8 million viewers each week. The reception was so ecstatic the BBC approved a second series before the first one finished airing.
It's now screening on Prime in New Zealand, where audiences may also recognise Turner from the television series Being Human and The Hobbit film trilogy.
Turner is a big name in Ireland and the UK with a growing worldwide fan base, and his choice of roles has just opened up thanks to Poldark, but there is no big ego evident if his politeness and modesty during our chat are an indication.
Based on Winston Graham's novels and set in 18th-century Cornwall, Poldark charts the exploits of Ross Poldark, the son of a tin miner, recently returned from fighting in the American War of Independence where he went to escape youthful misdeeds. Coming home he finds his father dead, the family farm in ruins, mining and the Cornish economy waning and the love of his life, Elizabeth, engaged to his cousin.
A member of the gentry, Ross ruffles feathers by befriending the working classes and helping them out of trouble, even if it means challenging the local establishment. This, deciding to marry his maid Demelza (with one eye still on Elizabeth) and reopening his father's mine pave the way for class tensions, economic rivalries and family feuds that make for a rollicking period drama. Add sumptuous shots of Cornwall and a charismatic cast and it's easy to grasp the appeal.
An actor with Turner's looks was bound to attract attention in the role, but when he was called upon to scythe a field minus his shirt and to take a naked dip in the sea after a hot ride along the Cornish coast, the British tabloids and social media exploded, unleashing what Shortlist magazine dubbed ''a lust hurricane'', coverage Turner admits was ''pretty crazy''.
Everything that could be said about his body (not to mention his hair, which spawned its own Twitter account) was said, with gusto.
However, he remains unfazed by the fuss, preferring not to tune into it, which is helped by his living in Dublin where he's spared the excesses of the British press.
''I don't do Twitter or social media things, so I'm not really in the loop ... I'm aware of the kind of hysteria that was around the show when it was on but I avoided a lot of it.''
At the same time, he rejects suggestions he was objectified, accepting most of the (albeit ribald) compliments were ''in good humour - it's all been fun'', saying he doesn't regret doing scenes like the shirtless scything because ''it makes sense in the show''.
I suggest the furore about his physique may have overshadowed the performances in Poldark, but he feels the ratings contradicted this, emphasising there was plenty of positive feedback.
''What filtered back to me was that everyone was really getting into it and it wasn't as distracting as it may have seemed.
''People really followed it ... and we could see it through the figures as well; the figures stayed really strong until the very end.''
He cites the response to his co-star, Eleanor Tomlinson, as an example, saying she was ''really rated for her performance as Demelza''.
Another performance we discuss is that of veteran British actor Warren Clarke, who played Ross' uncle, Charles Poldark, with whom Turner shared scenes in the first four episodes. Clarke (67) died in November only a few weeks after finishing Poldark, but his fellow cast-members were not aware he was unwell at the time. Turner is very warm in his praise for a man who ''made everything fun''.
''It was quite a shock when he died ... It was so poignant as well just looking back at those episodes ... I remember seeing those scenes for the first time and Warren had just died and I couldn't quite believe it because he was always so much fun on set.
''It's an easy thing to say about someone who's passed, how brilliant they were, but he really was.
''I was stepping into this role and my first scenes were with Warren and he was so supportive ... He made the whole experience just so much more enjoyable for everyone around because he was the guy with the most experience on set.''
I asked Turner what had attracted him to the character of Ross Poldark.
''He's a very complex character. He's not just as you read it straight off the page. I think there's a lot more and I was quite surprised when I read it that he wasn't just one thing or the other.
''His default position is to help people, which is something that I quite like ... He cares more about other people than he does about himself, but saying that, there are some times when he feels sorry for himself and he has to shake it off again.
''There's a lot going on. He's a very strong character and he sticks around Cornwall when I don't think I would have done ... He sticks around for Cornwall and for other people as opposed to for himself ... He's deep and it seems there's a lot more to explore with him.''
Signing on for the lead role ''wasn't a hard decision at all'' as the timing was right and he trusted the people involved and liked the books and the scripts - ''everything just seemed to work out''.
Filming for series two begins in September. It's possible more will follow given only two of Graham's 12 novels were adapted for the first series, but in the meantime Turner's off to New York to do ''a little indie, a little comedy'' called Look Away.
''It's a great story. We don't have much money and all the rest of it, but it's going to be fun.''
He apologises for not being able to discuss his role in the film, but he's been asked not to as it's early days for the production. No matter, our time is up and the talkative Turner is on to the next interview.
- Poldark screens Wednesdays at 8.30pm on Prime.
