Jonathan Rhys Meyers is NBC’s ‘Dracula‘. He is an Irish actor (born July 27, 1977, in Dublin) who has previously appeared in movies such as Vanity Fair, Alexander and Mission: Impossible III. He also played Elvis Presley in the 2005 miniseries, Elvis, and was the girls’ football coach in Bend It Like Beckham. In his latest role he bares all and reveals a body that has been honed and toned, and it is not due to a high-protein diet of blood!
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall and very lean. As well as being an actor he has worked as a model for Hugo Boss and Versace Men. However, his life is not all plain sailing. He has suffered from alcohol problems in the past and there are some (unconfirmed) reports that he may also suffer with depression.
He spent a little time in rehab in the summer of 2011, which was followed by a suicide attempt. Depression and alcoholism are a dangerous mix. However, he appears to have got his career back on track, and looks in great shape. He was also born with a heart condition and it was feared that he would not survive for long. However, he fought through and has since become an actor, model and style icon for several fashion magazines. So, how does he do it?
Weight Training in 2004
Because he was so slim he found that he was getting typecast in roles of weak characters, so in 2004 he started weight training and packed on around 25 pounds of muscle. And he has managed to maintain much of this muscle mass since.
We do not know how his diet is, but a guess would suggest that his slim figure is more likely to be down to not eating enough than a strenuous physical regime. However, he has made reference to exercise:
“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.”
Stairmasters provide an excellent workout. When climbing stairs the effort of lifting your bodyweight means that you burn a lot of calories. If you live in a block of flats or near a mountain you do not need a stairmaster, but for those living in London or LA, they can really help to burn calories in a relatively low impact way. There are no sprints or heavy lifting, just walking up stairs.
Simple Diet Plus Some Dog?
In 2009 he did discuss diet, in relation to his role as Henry 8th in Tudors. He explained Canada’s Edmonton Sun how bad the Tudor’s diet was, at least that of the royalty. He mentioned how the poor would eat vegetables and a little beef, which was very healthy and meant that they lived longer. He seemed to approve of this type of eating. However, in 2008 it was reported by Star Pulse that while filming The Children of Huang Shi in China he ate dog, something which his co-star Radha Mitchell found a little off-putting – and it also angers animal rights activists.
So, what can we really say about Jonathan Rhys Meyers? He obviously did do a lot of weight training about 9 years ago to bulk up, but there is no evidence that he works out other than a vague reference to walking (stairmasters). Maybe he now maintains his muscle with some circuit training exercises and uses hotel gyms now and then. Oh, he also smokes, or at least has done so in the past.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers may just be one of those guys who manage to stay in shape with combination of a few weekly workouts and simply not eating much, and drinking and smoking too much. He certainly works hard at his acting career, maybe the energy and enthusiasm that he puts into his work is enough to keep the fat off? He has mentioned several times that appearance is vital in acting, and he has also talked about his perfectionist streak – he could well do enough to stay in shape
He may be a style icon and look great with the help of a good tailor and make-up, but is he healthy? We really do not know.
Photo of Jonathan Rhys Meyers by Angela N.
References
Long day? Jonathan Rhys Meyers looks a little worse for wear as he heads back to his hotel after working on new film – Daily Mail, 23 October 2012
Style Icon: Jonathan Rhys Meyers – AskMen
Biography for Jonathan Rhys Meyers – IMDB
Jonathan Rhys Meyers reveals royalty’s ‘deathly’ diet on ‘The Tudors’ by Antoinette Kelly – IrishCentral.com, October 27, 2009
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Attacked For Eating Dog – Starpulse.com, May 22nd, 2008