Cinema’s Charismatic Rebel
tMF profiles the ambitious, fearless and award-winning Irish actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
By Jed Medina

"If there's a good script and a good part, you can be guaranteed that all the best actors in the world are trying to get it. There's no such thing as once you get to a certain stage, everything becomes easy. Everything becomes harder; you want the best roles, the biggest roles. And so does everyone else," observes Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

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The 30-year old Irish actor is known for speaking his mind- he is quite vocal about a number of issues- from the failings of the film industry to dealing with directors with huge egos to the irrelevance of celebrities & the lack of real talent in some of today’s biggest box-office stars.

Rhys-Meyers also suffers from the media’s perception and its apparent fascination with his looks, relegating his strong performances on the background. I have watched him for years now, enjoying a lot of his movies. I have also read a number of his interviews and there’s one thing that really impressed me. Rhys Meyers is driven to succeed as an actor.

Starting out and making a name for himself

Rhys-Meyers grew up in chaos. He had a turbulent childhood, living in an orphanage and being expelled from school at the age of 16. He was said to have been discovered while hanging out and playing pool.

It must be his true-to-life experiences that have allowed him to portray the most difficult roles and come up with genuine and heartfelt performances. What makes him such an awesome actor is that most of the roles he gets to play are not the usual glamorous, boy-next door types. Observes Gerry McCarthy:

“He played loners, losers and doomed romantics, scheming anti-heroes such as Steerpike in Gormenghast. His characters tended to be sinuously camp, vaguely decadent and slightly unwholesome.”

Yes, he gets to play those quirky types and it has enhanced his reputation as a serious actor. Rhys-Meyers is someone who would rather take part in an art house film than star in a big budget Hollywood production. But he relishes any role that looks appealing and challenging. He’s in Mission Impossible III with Tom Cruise, isn’t he?

Time to Shine

If I were asked which Rhys-Meyers film was my favorite, I would not hesitate to say Velvet Goldmine. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes, Rhys-Meyers plays Brian Slade, an androgynous glam-rock star who faked his own death on stage and then went underground. Reporter Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) had the daunting task of trying to find Slade and reconstruct his life since his disappearance. Goldmine also stars Ewan McGregor (who played his lover, Curt Wild) and Toni Collette, his wife. The tale strongly parallels David Bowie and Iggy Pop's relationship in the 1970s and 80s.

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This was definitely a career-making performance for Rhys-Meyers, who was only 20 when the movie was made. He was the perfect choice for the role - with his lithe, almost feline body, he is the exact duplicate of a rock star! Not to mention that this actor is also equipped with an almost endless charge of sexual electricity. And his eyes! And those lips!

Rhys-Meyers remained consistent in his choice of roles that followed Velvet Goldmine. While still yearning for that big role, he managed to shine and build up his acting resume with a good mix of critically-acclaimed and commercial movies. Among them were The Loss of Sexual Innocence, The Governess, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, "Gormenghast", Bend It Like Beckham and Vanity Fair.

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He also has this innate ability to shine, even in roles so small that other actors would have failed to register on the screen. Think of Michael Collins, and you’ll recall Rhys-Meyers’ as Liam Neeson’s assassin. But for me, the one movie that keeps on coming back is B Monkey. It’s the movie that made me put my money on Rhys-Meyers.

Finally, honor and recognition

“I can’t ask Elvis how he did Elvis; I can only perceive how Elvis became Elvis. I’m trying to do my interpretation of how Elvis is. The more raw I can make it the better it’ll be.”

Who would have thought of Rhys-Meyers as the King himself? “I’m playing Elvis — from Cork. Can you imagine? They’re paying me a fortune. Jaysus Christ, imagine if I turned them down.”

Of course he took the part and made quite an impact! For his role as Elvis Presley in the 2005 TV series, Elvis, Rhys-Meyers received a Golden Globe Best Actor Award.

After Elvis, Rhys-Meyers once again conquered television via The Tudors. Chrissy Iley reports:

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The producers needed Rhys Meyers to make it look like a rock 'n' roll circus. We see the young king as athletic and energetic, lusting after women and super macho, easily bruised and always taking his clothes off, either to wrestle (with the King of France) or romp (with his mistress Mary Boleyn).

"I had to make him dangerous. Living in his court was extraordinary. Everyone wanted the king's attention. When he gave it, it was like basking in sunlight. When he turned away, you were back in the shadows fighting everyone else to get his attention."

For as long as Rhys Meyers plays Henry he is Henry, holding court in his trailer.

A Tale of Two Directors

Living up to his reputation, Rhys-Meyers is quite outspoken about his opinions regarding two well-known filmmakers:

“Woody (Allen) is a master of working within himself. Woody knows what he is. Woody Allen really comes on set and if it doesn’t work that day, well it’s either his fault, the camera’s fault — whoever’s fault it is, it’s not working that day. With Oliver Stone it’s all on Oliver. He takes everything on. And that’s the difference, I suppose. Woody’s learnt to let things go, Oliver hasn’t. Oliver’s just like a tempestuous boy.”

Way back when he was only 18, it was reported that he auditioned for Oliver Stone’s U-Turn, and that he mentioned to the filmmaker himself that his “script was shit and it would never make a hit movie.”

The director said ‘Fuck off!’ Right after that, the film’s producers called Rhys-Meyers and declared ‘Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will never appear in an Oliver Stone film’.

Years later, Oliver Stone was said to have pleaded with Rhys-Meyers to take a supporting role in Alexander. The director had forgotten the incident, of course, but Meyers still recalled it and later on revealed that was the reason why he accepted the part.

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He may be critical of Oliver Stone, yet he has nothing but admiration for Woody Allen. After Velvet Goldmine, the next most-acclaimed role Rhys-Meyers had was in Allen’s Match Point.

In this movie, Meyers played Chris Wilton, a tennis pro seeking a new direction for his life. His luck finally turns when he meets two members of a wealthy British family, played by Emily Mortimer and Matthew Goode. Scarlett Johansson plays a struggling actress who is engaged to Goode's character. On a number of levels this is a re-working of Allen's earlier film Crimes and Misdemeanors.

A Tale of 2 Actors

Rhys-Meyer’s role in Alexander is quite small. He plays Cassander, a jealous rival to Colin Farrell’s Alexander. I can’t seem to recall what he did exactly, but he appeared in a few scenes and that’s it. One thing that registers, however, is his hateful - almost maniacal! - gaze at Farrell. There is such animosity present that you can almost touch it!

“In one sense the part came naturally to Rhys-Meyers: he only had to see Farrell hugging the limelight to experience Cassander’s envious emotions."

If you’re wondering why there seems to be some sort of ‘bad blood’ between the two, it’s actually less controversial than that. There are no issues actually and it has something to do with movies that both wanted to be part of. Rhys-Meyers explains the story behind:

“I auditioned for Tigerland (Joel Schumacher’s film about recruits training for combat in Vietnam), and I was furious when I found out that Colin was doing it. But then when I saw the movie, there was nobody else that could make it like Colin made it. “

“He was like this beautiful, beautiful cocktail of Marlon Brando in The Men and Montgomery Clift in Red River. He was sensitive and attitude-ish — lawyer-ish — but at the same time so boyish, so sexual, so misled. He played it beautifully. I could never have done that. After I saw the movie I said, ‘Okay, I see what I need to learn’.”

That’s quite a compliment, coming from Rhys-Meyers. There was also talk that Rhys-Meyers could have made it big in Hollywood and enjoyed his A-list status earlier on if not for Colin Farrell. It’s a question of who’s the better actor, and now it seems Farrell was the obvious choice.

but I would have to disagree. I don’t think Collin Farrell is a better actor than Rhys-Meyers.

While I find Farrell outstanding, there is something intangible, that extra bit of ‘magic’ (for the lack of a better word) about Rhys-Meyers that his fellow actor lacks. There is always an emotional connection that makes the viewing a more personal experience when Rhys-Meyers appears on screen.

On a lighter note, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers: Signature Model

“I think I'd be awful at writing a script, and worse at directing one. I think any actor who thinks he can direct a movie just because he's hung around a film set 30 times is full of shite. It's a skill, either you're born to do it or you're not.”

There are also a number of movies coming up: The Children of Huang Shi, Toussaint, Shelter and Mandrake, not to mention the new episodes of The Tudors, where he plays the young King Henry VIII.

“I do the work that I can do, but I don’t really care what people like,” he says. “I’m not keeping my pulse on what people are going to the cinema to see because the audience, they’re fickle.”

It was in 1994 when he first appeared on the big screen in A Man of No Importance - that’s 14 years ago. Apparently people seem to remain fascinated with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

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JONATHAN RHYS-MEYERS: Everybody wants to rule the world (or is it Hollywood?): “Part of being a narcissist is being terribly insecure,” he says, sitting back down. “If I wasn’t so insecure about myself I wouldn’t work as hard as I do. I am constantly seeking approval.”

That's Jonathan Rhys Meyers talking. The talented Irish actor is on the cover of the latest issue of Details magazine and just as GQ featured Ryan Gosling in a 12-page interview, Details put the spotlight on Rhys-Meyers. [ read more ]

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Comments (4)

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Great piece! And a great pick. He was great in Match Point and takes a lot of great roles. You have to have balls to call Oliver Stone out like that. I guess I have to check out Velvet Goldmine too..

jamesd , March 14, 2008 | url

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Great feature on one of my favorite actors! Absolutely love him in The Tudors. Can't wait for season 2 to start in a couple of weeks.

soundtrackgeek , March 17, 2008 | url

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God I love him , its an obsession....He is so damm fine....

The perfect Henry........i would risk my neck.....

Maria , March 28, 2008

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aah he is soooooooooo freakin sexy!!
too bad he's taken lol

sunnion , September 30, 2008

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