Interviews [Ecrites&Vidéos]

Question time with Jonathan Rhys Meyers
By Gabrielle Donnelly

Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 31, is best known for his roles in The Tudors, in which he played Henry VIII, Bend It Like Beckham and Mission: Impossible III. He lives between London, Los Angeles and Dublin, and is currently single.

Why did you want to act?
Because it was soft money.

What was your first acting job?
A Knorr soup commercial. I was 15 years old and I got £500 for two hours work. The next thing was my first lead role in the film The Disappearance Of Finbar. I got a big cheque for hanging out on a film set and acting. I was 17. What boy is not going to say, 'I'll do this?'

When did you realise that you actually liked it?
When I was on the set of Michael Collins, in which I played the Irish rebel leader's assassin. It wasn't the acting, it was the atmosphere. I was on the set with the film's director, Neil Jordan, and it's leading men, Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman – and there was such a buzz about it.

You've said you've never taken any acting lesson
No, and I never would. The reality is that you either have it or you don't. You can't learn it.

What does it take to be a good actor?
You don't have to be the best looking person; you don't even have to be the most talented, you just have to be interesting. That's what it comes down to, you're either interesting or you're not. But you also need luck.
If Al Pacino was starting out in the industry today, do you think he'd be successful as he is? I don't. In the 1970s, when he made his name, he was able to play characters that allowed him to shine. These days, you just don't get chances like that. At the same time, it's easier to become famous. Celebrity has lost its value – all you have to do is go on a reality TV show for six weeks and everybody knows your name.

Did you enjoy playing Henry VIII?
It was difficult because I'm never going to look like him. I told the producers that if they wanted me to put on weight, dye my hair red and put on a big beard, then they'd better get someone else.
The reality is that viewers don't want to see an obese, red-haired guy on a TV series. I mean, I wouldn't like to see somebody who looked like Henry when he was older having sex.
Now, certain people such as historians have a problem with that, and that's fair enough, but nobody can tell me that how I played Henry isn't right, because I think that the way I played him is probably a hell of a lot closer to history than many people would like to admit – he was an egotistical, spoilt brat.

The next instalment of the series is just as Henry is about to marry his third wife, Jane Seymour.
Yes, he's marrying the perfect wife for him, and he's learned that he doesn't need an Anne Boleyn – another partner in crime to help him take over the world. He just needs a wonderful, supportive wife to take care of him when he comes home from a hard day beheading people.
Jane is all of that: amiable, sophisticated, beautiful, and he's very happy with her. But then fate comes into it, and she dies in childbirth, which was Henry's fault – not because he gave her a child, but because he gave her syphilis.

Like Henry, you're known for being a bit of a bad boy…
Oh, I'm nothing like as naughty as people think I am. I don't hang out with movie stars, and you won't see me going to many Hollywood parties. I'm actually quite boring.

What's your idea of a good time?
You know what I like to do on a Sunday morning? Clean my house. I really enjoy it; it's my ritual. I require tidiness, actually. I have to have everything spotless before I can relax. It's probably a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder in me – but it's just part of who I am.

Have your good looks held you back as a character actor?
I don't think people ever saw me as a character actor. I'm a pretty boy. I've never done a film where they uglied me up, unlike Jude Law, who will hunt for a role that makes him ugly because he has to get away from his matinee idol look.

Do you need a certain amount of vanity to be an actor?
Of course. All acting is narcissism in some way. Am I a narcissistic person? Absolutely. Am I vain? Absolutely. It's not brave to admit that, it's reality. Any actor tells you they're not vain is lying.

What do you think about marriage?
I think the saying that a man is only as good as the woman on his arm is true, and so, if you have a good partner, one who is supportive, smart, caring, and loving, then, yeah, you can become a much better man for it.

No six wives for you, then?
Good lord, no. I'm a one woman guy. I think that if you can find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, you should marry them instantly, and try to stay married. All those times Henry got married just ended up ruining his life in the end. I'd rather be happily married than be a king, any day.