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 The Tudors star Jonathan Rhys Meyers receives a royal welcome as he is given the Honorary Patronage award from the Trinity College Philosophical Society during a special ceremony on Sunday in Dublin, Ireland.

Society president Barry Devlin said, “We look for people who we feel represent the spirit and values embodied by former pioneering Irish people like Oscar Wilde. We are delighted to present this award to such a list of diverse and talented individuals such as Jonathan Rhys Myers.”

Tidbit: Republican presidential candidate John McCain was given this honor when he came to Trinity in 2006 to answer questions from students.

Source : Just Jared.com

First look at Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves

British Grammy-winning soul singer Joss Stone, 21, had hoped to play Jane Seymour in Showtime’s sexy royal series, The Tudors, which returns for a third season in spring 2009. But her touring schedule didn’t allow it, so instead she landed the role of Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

“She wears frumpy clothes,” says Stone, from her home in Devon on a break from filming in Dublin. “None of the sexy English corsets. I’m a German weirdo. I had to have a bloody German accent and play the harpsichord.”

The upside: Henry, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, doesn’t find his German bride attractive. But Stone still will have to film a love scene during her three-episode appearance. “I just have to lie there. He’s trying to consummate the marriage. She’s a virgin and very afraid and she has no idea what to do. It’s all very uncomfortable and not working. He gets very angry.”

Acting uncomfortable was the easiest part, says Stone. “I’m not really an actress yet. At the end of the day I would love to go into acting and I am — but my first love is music.”

Source : USA Today.com

When David Alpay auditioned for The Tudors, he knew he’d have a chance to share the screen with a who’s who of British acting talent, in a story as English as fried food and damp curtains.

With recurring roles in Canadian shows like Slings And Arrows and Billable Hours as well as Atom Egoyan’s Ararat behind him, he nonetheless decided to take a bit of a risk.

“I never told them that I didn’t have an English accent. I kind of auditioned with an accent and just kinda got the part and bluffed my way through, I guess.”

Alpay ended up landing the role of Mark Smeaton, the court musician who became a favorite of King Henry VIII and then his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Smeaton was a rock star at the Tudor Court – the show even shows him having an affair with Anne’s brother George, a creative embroidery with no precedent in historical fact – but he met with an unfortunate end, implicated in an adulterous affair with Anne that conveniently suited both Henry’s burgeoning paranoia and his need to get rid of yet another wife who wasn’t producing an heir, though Smeaton was in all likelihood innocent.

“What’s really cool is that the show refuses to provide answers like that on the surface,” Alpay says, “and it’s not until the last two episodes of the season that we really find out what’s happening, and it’s heartbreaking, actually. Smeaton and Anne aren’t out to get the king or screw around and cause trouble. They’re just two people who, in a way, really love each other and care about each other, but the environment, the society that they live in, that has a really hard time with that. There’s a social friction that’s the kernel that grows into bigger problems later on. He’s a very innocent character who isn’t duplicitous, but seen through Henry’s eyes he seems that way. The history books though have kind of favoured Henry’s viewpoint.”

Source : Metro News.CA

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is planning to hang up his crown by quitting hit Hollywood show The Tudors.

Despite achieving enormous success with the show, the Cork born actor will finish out the current series but has already decided he will not return whether a new run is scheduled or not.

A source close to the star said: “Jonathan has decided he’s going to quit The Tudors. He’ll stay around to record the next season but he won’t be doing any more after that.

“He’s really enjoyed playing King Henry VIII and having the opportunity to work in Ireland again but he feels it’s time to go.” The Hollywood star will jet off to Paris this week to shoot his latest blockbuster From Paris With Love alongside John Travolta.

Our source told the Herald: “Jonathan is delighted because he’s landed the lead role. His character is much bigger than Travolta’s so it’s great news for him. It’s confirmation that he’s really made it, there’s no stopping him now.”

He will remain in Paris for the next 11 weeks while filming his latest project.

And with a $55m budget and a script that centres on an embassy employee and an American covert agent who become involved in a high-stakes mission, it’s sure to be a box office hit. To celebrate, the actor hit the town this weekend alongside his new The Tudors co-star Joss Stone.

They were spotted enjoying a farewell drink in members only bar, Residence, on Saturday.

Discreet

According to one onlooker: “They were there with another friend and seemed to be just out for a quiet drink. They were at a discreet corner table and appeared to be getting on very well and having a great laugh together.”

However, the superstars didn’t have much time to catch up, with Jonathan causing a stir with the ladies.

“People were walking past him on their way to the bathroom and then when they saw who it was they just stopped dead in their tracks.

“He was mobbed by girls all night and had a constant swarm of people coming up to talk to him.”

Singer Joss will make her debut in the period drama in the upcoming third series. She plays Anne of Cleves.

And while the celeb pair play lovers onscreen, it seems there will be no romance off camera, as Jonathan has spoken of his love for his long term girlfriend Reena Hammer.

Source : Herald.IE

Hollywood heartthrob Jonathan Rhys Meyers is set to get a royal welcome from Trinity College students in coming weeks.

The Philosophical Society is to award its Honorary Patronage to the Cork-born star of The Tudors at a special ceremony.

Previous personalities who have been given this honour include US presidential candidate Senator John McCain who came to Trinity in 2006 to answer questions from students.