Recent Shows: Tudors, The
Biography:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born July 27, 1977, in Dublin, Ireland. He and
his family moved to County Cork, Ireland, when the actor was nearly a
year old, and then, at the age of 3, his father left the family,
leaving his mother to care for Jonny and his 3 y ...(read more)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born July 27, 1977, in Dublin, Ireland. He and
his family moved to County Cork, Ireland, when the actor was nearly a
year old, and then, at the age of 3, his father left the family,
leaving his mother to care for Jonny and his 3 younger brothers alone.
Rhys Meyers grew up with a tumultuous childhood, spending some time in
an orphanage and being permanently expelled from school at age 16.
Happy to be out of school, he began spending time in a local pool hall
where he was discovered by Hubbard Casting. The casting agents were
talent-spotting for the 'David Puttnam' production of War of the Buttons
(1994) , and asked Rhys Meyers to appear for an audition. After three days of auditions, however, he did not get the role, and Rhys Meyers gave up on his acting aspirations. Soon afterward, he received a call to audition for a national ad campaign for Knorr soup, and though embarrassed by the attention from the ad, he soon found himself considered for a major film. His movie acting debut was a very small role in the film Man of No Importance, A (1994) ,where his simple cast credit is as First Young Man. His
first lead role was in the film Disappearance of Finbar,1996) . During a 6-month postponement in production he returned home to Cork and there received a call about the film Michael Collins (1996) .
He traveled to Dublin to meet with director Neil Jordan (I) and
successfully won the role of Collins's assassin. Jordan wrote about his
meeting with the actor, "I have found someone to play Collin's (sic)
killer. Jonathan Rees-Myers (sic), from County Cork, apparently, who
looks like a young 'Tom Cruise' . [He] Comes into the casting session with
alarming certainty. Obviously gifted."
Rhys Meyers continued working constantly from that point and appeared
in such films as Maker, 1997) , Telling Lies in America (1997) , and Tribe, The (1998)
(TV) . Going on to film Governess, The (1998) ,B. Monkey (1998) , Titus (1999) and Ride with the Devil
1999/I) , he has received critical acclaim for several performances, most notably as Brian Slade in Velvet Goldmine (1998) , as Steerpike in the British mini series "Gormenghast"
(2000)(mini) , and as a sympathetic football coach in Bend It Like Beckham (2002) . Rhys Meyers is also a talented singer and
musician, having performed his own vocals in "Velvet Goldmine" and
appearing on the film's soundtrack. Rhys Meyers still resides in County
Cork, Ireland.
Skarlett
Quotes:
* "Being an actor is the easiest job. Just say the lines."
* "You get on a set and immediately people are wiping your ass for you,
and nobody tells you when you're being an asshole. I'm sure nobody
working for 'Tom Cruise' would turn around and say, ...(read more)
* "Being an actor is the easiest job. Just say the lines."
* "You get on a set and immediately people are wiping your ass for you,
and nobody tells you when you're being an asshole. I'm sure nobody
working for 'Tom Cruise' would turn around and say, 'Tom, don't do that
anymore because you're a dickhead to do that'. Actually, he might quite
like it".
* "I felt lower then than I did when I was 13 years old, I remember
getting out of the limo with Toni and 'Christian Bale' and walking towards all
these photographers, and they were going, 'Hey! Toni! Look over here!
Hey, Christian, here!' And I just walked on because nobody had an idea
who I was. It was a horrible experience." - Cannes Film Festival
1998
* "There will be ups and downs, but it's important to remember you're on
your own beautiful journey and once you're on it you have to see it
through to its conclusion and try to never be afraid to do anything
because what is the worse that can happen?"
* "A lot of men are very uptight, but I don't distinguish between male
and female beauty. Beauty is beauty."
* "I think it is important to stay close to your roots and be true to
yourself, be honest. I don't want to play games in Hollywood and
pretend to be someone else. I still suffer from insecurity and that
situation would make it worse."
* "But actors, everything is so physical. You're basically the only
product you have. The hardest part of acting is realizing it doesn't
matter. I'm going to try and not take it too seriously because, if I
do, I would really wreck my head."
* "I think I'd really like to be someone who would be known for being a
nice guy."
* "I've never gone to acting school and I never will, so I'm learning
about the business from the people who are in the business. It doesn't
seem like I work at all. And the unknown is always exciting."
* "... I wouldn't date an actress. There's only room for one actor in my
life and I'm it. Too difficult. On the one hand, they understand the
job. But on the other hand, it's very competitive within the
relationship. Two actors, say one becomes a mega-star and the other
doesn't. Happens all the time. So one is getting so much attention, and
the other person feels jealous."
* "I don't have many friends that are actors. It's a very faux
environment. I don't call people up after films."
* "I find actors who play nasty guys in movies are the nicest guys in
real life, and the opposite then goes for heroes."
* "At some point in your career as an actor you're going to have to get
on a Stairmaster. The days of Harris and O'Toole are gone. If you want
to be at the top of your game, you can't be out partying with your
friends, or having six pints a night down the pub."
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