Summary

• Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Hollywood career has seen a downturn in recent years, but he is still active as an actor in both TV and low-budget movies.
• Meyers has struggled with addiction and personal tragedies, including the loss of his mother and a miscarriage, which has impacted his career.
• Outside of acting, Meyers is involved with several charities and has made contributions to organizations supporting children and healthcare.

Although Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a promising rising star in the late 90s and early aughts, his screen appearance has seemingly diminished over the years, making it hard not to wonder what happened to him. Today, Jonathan Rhys Meyers may only be associated with his recent recurring role in Vikings. However, long before Jonathan Rhys Meyers became Bishop Heahmund in the historical drama, he was known for starring in several popular films and TV series like The Tudors, Elvis, From Paris With Love, and Match Point. Despite building a strong acting portfolio for himself in the 90s and early 2000s, though, Meyers somehow faced a downturn in his Hollywood career.

While some may still associate him with his role in Woody Allen's Match Point, others may still see him as the embodiment of his character in Vikings. Some might even remember him for his earlier years in Hollywood, where he played a diverse set of roles in movies like Vanity Fair, August Rush, and Bend it Like Beckham. However, regardless of how audiences remember him, he seems to have gone relatively silent in recent years, with fewer mainstream movie and TV projects showing up in his acting resume. Although the assumption that Jonathan Rhys Meyers has drifted away from acting is not correct, several factors have contributed to the changes in his career's trajectory.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Career Started To Suffer In The Late 2000s

While Jonathan Rhys Meyers made his debut in 1994 with a film called A Man of No Importance, it wasn't until the early 2000s that he began to gain traction as an actor. After appearing as Steerpike in BBC's Gormenghast, Meyers became a familiar face when he played the role of a football coach in Bend It Like Beckham. With what followed, Meyers also shared the screen with Reese Witherspoon in Vanity Fair and played the leading role in Woody Allen's Match Point. He further garnered more acclaim for his acting skills when he portrayed Elvis Presley in CBS' miniseries Elvis, which also got him a Golden Globe nomination.

However, soon after Meyers appeared in Mission: Impossible III in 2006, he experienced some tragedies that negatively impacted his career. As reports reveal, after his mother, Mary Geraldine O'Keeffe, passed away at age 51, the actor started struggling with alcohol and even enrolled in a rehab the same year. In the years that followed, he reportedly got involved in several altercations at airports after intoxication. One of these airport feuds also led him to United Airlines banning him from booking their flights after he verbally assaulted and used racist language toward airline staff when they did not let him enter the boarding area.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Has Experienced A Lot Of Tragedy Since Then

Jonathan Rhys Meyers' struggles with addiction continued throughout the 2010s. In 2011, he reportedly overdosed on certain pills but was hospitalized on time. A similar incident was also reported in 2016 when he was found collapsed on the floor by paramedics who responded to an emergency call. The next year, Meyers' wife, Mara Lane, had a miscarriage, which, according to reports, led to Meyers relapsing at the Dublin Airport. Meyers was also taken into custody in 2018 after he broke sobriety on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and had a public dispute with his wife.

Recounting his experiences with alcohol in an interview (via The Guardian), Jonathan Rhys Meyers said that he is "sober 95 percent of the time and fall[s] down five percent of the time." In a now-removed Instagram post, Meyers' wife opened up about the actor's struggles with depression, which she revealed stems from "past abuse." She also added (via Huffpost) that "he has been able to turn any ugliness and hurt in his life into art and is the strongest person I know.”

In 2020, Meyers was asked to go through a 12-month summary probation after he crashed his car and was discovered to be intoxicated by the police. While the accident was minor, the actor was charged with three offenses, of which two were two DUI-related and one for reckless driving. After Meyers pleaded guilty to reckless driving, the other two charges were dropped, and he avoided jail time. He still had to pay a $500 fine and complete a one-year alcohol education and counseling program during his probation period.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Has Been Involved In A Number Of Charities Outside Of Acting

Outside acting, Meyers has not only kept himself busy with his family but has also been actively involved with several charities. For instance, he became the ambassador of a charity, the Hope Foundation, which supports street children from Calcutta, India. After becoming the ambassador for Barretstown charity, Meyers was also a part of its Press Play campaign, which helped raise funds for children with serious illnesses. According to reports, apart from supporting several charity organizations, he has also made several contributions to organizations like London's Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

Has Jonathan Rhys Meyers Retired From Acting?

Although Jonathan Rhys Meyers has stayed away from the limelight and has hardly taken on any mainstream movie roles in recent years, he is still active as an actor. He is primarily known for starring in 17 episodes of the hit TV show Vikings as Bishop Heahmund. However, from 2013-2014, he also played the titular character in NBC's horror series Dracula. Other than that, he has also appeared in different capacities in several low-budget flicks, such as Yakuza Princess, Ambush, Mercy, and The Shadow Effect, among several others.

Even though he is not as acclaimed and famous as he used to be in the late 90s and the early aughts, he still has acting credits in several upcoming movie projects, including Operation Blood Hunt, Clean Up Crew, and Run. Although Meyers has yet to make a full-fledged comeback in Hollywood like Brendan Fraser, he continues showcasing his talent in B-list movies and earning the respect and appreciation of those who follow his work. Whether he will land his second big break in the near future is yet to be seen. However, the fact that he consistently takes up roles and remains dedicated to his craft proves that he certainly deserves a second shot at mainstream success.