BY NOW, it's hard not to think of Henry VIII as the smoldering monarch.
As played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Showtime's "The Tudors," young Henry may as well be a rock star. This king's got chiseled cheekbones, a protruding pout, piercing blue eyes and a vigorous sex life -- Henry and second wife Anne Boleyn claw lustfully at each other's backs in bed until blood is drawn.
The extra libido worked. Showtime recently renewed the series for a third season, and the 30-year-old Rhys Meyers, who does double-duty as a movie star -- most recently in the period drama "The Children of Huang Shi" -- spoke by phone from the garden of his London home about growing Henry, Hollywood's award season and all those tiresome bosoms.
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You're probably sick of hearing about how you don't look like Henry VIII. How did series creator Michael Hirst and Showtime initially sell you on the role?
At first, of course, like anyone else, I laughed. I thought they wanted me to put on 200 pounds and grow a beard. And then I got the explanation about a sort of modern-day Henry. As an actor, I carry a certain amount of intensity, and they knew that when they cast me. They looked for it. They didn't want someone who was wishy-washy. They didn't want someone who was going to be charmingly lovable. At the end of last season, Michael said to me, "I think you've done it." And I said, "Done what?" "I think you've created a king that I would not want to [mess] with."
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Does that intensity stay with you off-set?
It's difficult for it not to. You work 12 hours a day, and you know you've got to get right back in it the next. I'm sure if you asked any of the athletes in the NBA playoffs about their work ethic, they'd say the same thing: It's always game time. I play soccer twice a week to unwind a bit. I go home and turn on any mindless drivel that can take my mind off Henry, but I never want to separate from him too much because I don't want to have to go and rediscover where he was.
When I'm done shooting a season, that's different. Then I don't want to see another doublet [the men's snug buttoned jacket, then all the rage in Western Europe], or a knee-high boot or a horse for awhile. Not even a pair of breasts. [Laughs.] I know when you're watching it on TV it looks fabulous but when you're living in a world of ample bosoms for that long . . . .
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"The Tudors" was initially announced as a two-season project. Were you game to do more television work?
