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Irish movie star Jonathan Rhys Meyers is acting out

CAHIR O'DOHERTY,

Irish Voice Reporter

Published Thursday, May 20, 2010, 9:29 AM

Updated Thursday, May 20, 2010, 5:07 PM

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As King Henry VIII in the hugely popular Showtime series The Tudors (which is filmed in Ireland) Rhys Meyers is a natural, a volatile, mercurial leader given to sudden inexplicable outbursts. His role looks like a perfect marriage of his creative life and his personal one.

Then in February his successful turn with John Travolta in the movie From Paris With Love also looked like it was turning the dial up on a notch on Rhys Meyers’ ascent to superstardom. Onscreen Travolta and Rhys Meyers had a surprising natural chemistry, so much so you could actually tell they hit it off behind the scenes too.

“Jonathan is a miracle,” said Travolta. “He’s just this amazingly talented gorgeous guy that can do anything. He just approaches a role full bodied and we communicated well. There was no stone unturned when it came to discussing the possibilities together.”

Travolta was right. Rhys Meyers exhibited an unexpected talent for comedy, delighting in sending up his own image.

That playfulness looked like Rhys Meyers’ answer to critics who claim the Irish actor’s acting career has been the longest running audition for the role of James Bond in cinema history. He’s certainly got the stone-faced ladies-man persona down cold, but he also knows how to turn on the Golden Globe winning talent that made his name in the first place (JRM won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Film in 2005 for his star turn as Elvis Presley in the CBS biopic Elvis.)

The fact is Rhys Meyers got lucky and he knows it. Blessed with leading man good looks and a knack for picking winning scripts, he’s charted his onscreen course with real savvy.

In the process he’s travelled far from his own humble origins. At 16 years of age, he was a school dropout who spent listless days hanging out around Cork City pool halls on the road to nowhere, Irish style.

All that changed when he was talent spotted by some visiting casting directors. But along with the success came addictions.

In 2005 Rhys Meyers checked himself into the Promises rehabilitation facility in California for his problems with alcohol (his mother, who died last year, was also a heavy drinker). In 2007 he returned to the facility to maintain his sobriety. A few months later he was arrested in Dublin Airport and charged with being drunk and in breach of the peace, and last year in Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport he was arrested again for being abusive and threatening to airline staff.

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sirpeter | Oct 24, 2010, 08:44 AM EDT

There is a fine line between genius and madness and Rhys Meyers seems to fit the bill with both.These kind of people need special attention and need to be treated in a certain way,their behavior doesn't fit into what most people consider "normal" because they are not normal and don't behave in a normal rational way,that's what genius is. What i find interesting with this article is the highlighting of the word nig*er been used by Meyers which is a derogatory word,and in the same article the statement "The Irish, let’s face it, have a higher threshold for the bad behavior associated with drink" both are derogatory and insulting.If the Irish have a higher threshold for bad behavior associated with drink how do you explain the very good behavior of Irish football fans when traveling to other countries in masses that are drinking all day.And the English football fans whose behavior is extremely poor doing the exact same thing.And both sets of fans are from the same section of society which makes it more interesting.NO!! The real insult is the stereotypical highlighting in this article of the word nig*er and the stereotypical statement that the Irish behave badly when drinking.These type of articles have for centuries been the real cause of racism,because it maintains stereotype in a supply way.

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Conjoly | Aug 24, 2010, 12:28 PM EDT

I'm bored of reading about this and am disgusted by the reported racism. I've heard him float the extenuating circumstance of 'growing up in Ireland' on more than one occasion, but millions of people have grown up in Ireland, myself included, and we don't behave the way he has and are not alcoholics. While everyone who has a problem deserves help and sympathy, he needs to get his act together and get help.

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iwantjrm | May 24, 2010, 05:18 PM EDT

I don't think there is much of an excuse to use the n word. I just love Jonathan and think he is a very talented actor. I am praying that he gets help with his addiction and goes onward and upward from here and doesn't end up like the people he described in the Irish bars 15 years down the road still sitting there drinking. I wish him the best!!! I'm so going to miss the Tudors when it ends.

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hulagirl247 | May 24, 2010, 10:11 AM EDT

I lost my mom to cancer eight years ago. She was my biggest fan and best friend. It was as if love had been wiped off the face of the earth for me. The deeper the wound, the longer the heal time. We all cope with loss in the ways we are capable of doing so. Grief iften spawns anger and it is never pretty. This man needs prayer. Before you judge him say a prayer for him.

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Monsoonman | May 22, 2010, 12:22 PM EDT

With the widespread availability of video cams and 24/7 news cycles, there is very little shelter for ones bad behavior anymore. Jonathan needs to feel the heat before he sees the light and reaches out for help. Until then he is on the same course many other recipients of fame and fortune have found themselves which leads to their destruction and death...As for Michael Richards being a racist, he made a very good point when he said: Why is it that only whites can be racists?

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Syljd2003 | May 21, 2010, 10:11 PM EDT

I feel pretty horrible. I was initially VERY insulted and angry with him, as a black person myself, and also an American and felt that there was ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for his alleged recent behavior. However, I have read more and more about him and I firmly believe NOW that he needs prayer, not hatred. I also can state that I truly believe that when an individual is VERY angry coupled with intoxication they can say and do anything, especially if your intention is to hurt someone (let’s face it; certain words would not have gotten any attention). I do not say that to say that his alleged behavior was justified, but if he did act that way, we should pray for him and not chastise a clearly emotionally upset individual. A person who feels the need to drink at 7 am is clearly going through some internal issues that need to be addressed as well as being a clear an alcoholic and in need of serious treatment. I believe a general apology for the use of alleged racial epithet is MANDATORY regardless. However, I LOVE the Tudors cannot imagine not continuing to do so. I feel horrible after reading that he lost his mother recently, etc… I was first on the internet blasting him, but I have really done a 180 on my opinion. He needs prayer and support. I also apologize for comparing him to Kramer as I feel the analogy was clearly unfounded.

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Syljd2003 | May 21, 2010, 09:33 PM EDT

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janittdott | May 21, 2010, 12:28 PM EDT

As for this commentary...it's empathetic well reasoned and I can't say it is...not fair. Jonny's demon's are clearly out in full force and he MUST master them, no doubt, particularly...at airports. I must take issue however, with the FACTS presumed to be in evidence about this most recent airport incident since this ENTIRE scandal that's gone viral on the web has only ONE source, RadarOnline.com which defines itself as an obscure "popculture" tattletale site that solicits "tips" on celebrities. The better the "tale" the more likely the telling and THIS "story" came from an unidentified airline employee presumably cashing in on their encounter with...a movie star. Radar says United Airline confirmed the ban (which they should NOT have done given passenger privacy laws) but neither the airline brass nor jonny's management will confirm that in his drunken state jonny either MADE a racial slur (he has NO history of racism, quite the reverse) nor that he uttered the pompous statement: "do you know who I am?" BOTH of those details are embellishments tacked on as the story went viral, neither appeared in the original gossip blip at radaronline.

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janittdott | May 21, 2010, 11:59 AM EDT

I've followed jonathan's career for ten years because I write for actors and the privilege of watching one THIS exceptional at work has been a constant inspiration to me. Literally, the first ten minutes I saw jonny on screen I KNEW he had the potential to BE the best actor of his generation. But that in itself is a heavy weight for an Irish street kid to carry. From the start he's shot from one high profile role to the next even higher one, his world class photo work is equally sensational, and has never, since his wayward teens, had the luxury to...fail in private. I've thought one of jonny's issues is that he did not have the benefit of theatrical schooling (not to act, NO one could...teach...jonathan acting) but training in this merciless field also teaches one to weather the firestorm of stardom. As important, it teaches you to NOT become your characters. Playing the mad malicious Henry8 for FOUR years by method would be hazardous for the most settled of stars.

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Amante2me | May 21, 2010, 11:05 AM EDT

This article is very well written. If Meyers doesn't stop this self destruction course he will be dead soon. As much as people would love to help him until he wants to help himself nothing can be done. I just hope he wakes up before he kills himself accidently or may be even another person with his drunken tirades.

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Ryan0406 | May 20, 2010, 04:30 PM EDT

This grandma from L.A. area first saw RJM in August Rush and has been a devoted fan ever since. My heart is aching for this intelligent young man. This is first time I read that his mother was a heavy drinker. He misses her so much that possibly he feels a connection to her when he drinks too much. Regardless, I pray he gets it together before he trashes the fantastic body of work he has built up. May God bless you, Jonny, and your family.

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