- Title: USA: Henry VIII more ruthless than ever in season 3 of The Tudors
- Date: 31st March 2009
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 30, 20090 (REUTERS) (CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY) JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS AND CAST MEMBERS ANNABELLE WALLIS (JANE SEYMOUR) AND TAMZIN MERCHANT (KATHERINE HOWARD) POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS AND UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS SAYING "He looks different and I think in season 3 Henry realizes just how powerful he is and everyone will suffer."
- Embargoed: 15th April 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAD24Z09N6Z1O727I1JE92DF8Z
- Story Text: Henry the VIII may be getting older but not more docile in Season Three of "The Tudors". The cast including Jonathan Rhys Meyers were in New York on Monday (March 30) to celebrate the premiere of the new season that will feature three marriages and one beheading.
"He looks different and I think in season three Henry realizes just how powerful he is and everyone will suffer," said Rhys Meyers who admits he looks nothing like how Henry VIII has been portrayed.
Playing the role of Henry's third wife Jane Seymour, who is known to have been the king's true love, is British newcomer Annabelle Wallis. She said Rhys Myers was the hardest working person on the set.
"Oh he's wonderful. He's great. He's got great energy," she said. "He's a great actor and I suppose when you're around people that you admire and you respect their work, it brings out the best work in yourself and I had seen his work on the show and I knew that I had a lot to live up to and a lot to act across from."
Jane Seymour doesn't survive for long. After giving Henry what he always yearned for: a son, she dies in childbirth. Henry, who is heartbroken, nevertheless moves on and quickly yearns for a new queen. Thomas Cromwell, Henry's chief minister, suggests Anne of Cleves, the sister of a German Protestant duke. Henry agrees to marry her sight unseen after being told she is a beauty. When he meets her, he is repelled by her looks and the marriage is never consumated which ultimately saves Anne's life. The marriage is annulled and the two remain good friends. The role is played by music star Joss Stone.
Henry's fifth wife, Katherine Howard, played by Tamzin Merchant, isn't so lucky. A cousin of Anne Boleyn, Howard suffers the same fate as Boleyn who was beheaded years earlier. Her crime: adultery.
Rhys Meyers who first gained worldwide attention in "Velvet Goldmine" and later for playing Elvis in a mini-series continues to shoot films between filming for "The Tudors". He said his experience working on "The Tudors" has made him better at his craft.
"I think I'm more responsible as an actor. he said. "I'm responsible for what people feel through what I do on the show so I think I have become more respectful, more respectful of the audience."
Season three of "The Tudors", which chronicles the reign of Henry VIII, debuts on Showtime in the United States on April 5. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
