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Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Interview By: Michael Dance
michaelmdance@gmail.com

While most actors rise to fame thanks to one breakthrough performance, Jonathan Rhys Meyers has actually had several. First was Brian Slade in Velvet Goldmine. Then his lighter side as the coach in the surprise hit Bend it Like Beckham. Then Elvis Presley himself in the 2005 Elvis miniseries, which brought him a Golden Globe – a remarkable feat considering in real life he has a strong Irish accent.

It was Woody Allen’s devious drama Match Point that finally propelled him to true star status: he played a selfish, philandering, but fundamentally lucky person who finds himself driven to murder. After that critically-acclaimed turn came a supporting role in Mission: Impossible-3 and the lead role in one of Showtime’s signature series, The Tudors. His role as a young King Henry VIII no doubt helped the show, which will return for a second season, become a ratings hit.

Before that returns, however, Meyers stars in August Rush, a simple, magical story about a young music prodigy (Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) searching for parents that don’t know he exists, played by Meyers and Keri Russell.

“I think a lot of why Freddie is the way he is, like such an amiable guy, is he’s got very nice parents,” Meyers says of his unaffected young co-star. “Really nice. Very supportive, but not pushy. And he’s got a great brother, Bert, very sweet guy. I met them last week, and we both go to football, back in London, because we both support the same team and we’ve both got season tickets.

“He’s older than his years because his experience has dictated that he’s older than his years,” Meyers continues. “But he’s not precocious. He’s still very much a kid, and I think that’s the parents. But really, when you get down to a real conversation, he’s also grown up. Because he lives in this grown up world of, you know, you have to be on set at 8 a.m., and I know you’d like to go play football with your friends, but you’ve got to be on set. With Johnny Depp. Or Luc Besson. Or Keri Russell.”

For Meyers himself, he had a lot of fun with his character, a former lead singer in a rock band. “It was actually more fun, really, rehearsing – because we got this studio space and Paul Simon was recording his new album there,” Meyers gushes, truly star-struck. “You can only imagine, I’m standing outside smoking cigarettes with the guitar swung over my shoulder, being just too cool for school, and Paul Simon’s coming in, and you’re like, ‘Hey, what’s up Paul.’ ‘Hey, what’s going on.’ ‘Yeah, nothing, just layin’ something down.’” He bursts out laughing but keeps up the charade. “‘Yeah, just me and a couple of ...

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