Henry VIII is one of the most famous monarchs in the UK and probably the whole world - and one of the most controversial ones. There are many on-screen and written takes on his characters, but today I want to dedicate this post to Jonathan Rhys Meyers' portrayal of him in The Tudors television series. In particular, the younger Henry VIII.
The Tudors criticism
One of the biggest problems many people see with The Tudors, apart from historical inaccuracies, is the casting choice. I've read many comments about Jonathan Rhys Meyers not fitting the large shoes of Henry VIII - particularly because he's too young and sexy to play the tyrant.
Henry VIII on screen
There are countless portrayals of Henry on screen - and the most popular way of looking at him is to imitate the famous portrait by Holbein. Although it is the most famous representation of the scandalous king, it is widely known that the painter flattered somewhat the short-tempered man, who was getting used to chopping off heads, were you his wife, close friend or a bit too eager servant. Never mind - we know that Henry was a huge man, who could barely move towards the end of his life, he was obese and couldn't exercise because of his leg wound. Henry's obesity is an important characteristic that writers and filmmakers alike are very aware of, especially when retelling the events of his later years.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is definitely not the bloated red-headed monarch we are used to.
However, The Tudors is originally set when Henry is still a young(ish) man
So... He doesn't have to be this larger-than-life, ageing tyrant we might expect.
The show is set in the early years of Henry's reign and his first marriage - to Katherine of Aragon. That was before he got his wound in the joust and even before he crossed paths with Anne Boleyn. The young man who had to become king instead of his elder brother Arthur, who died too soon, he wasn't the fat, paranoid tyrant we've heard of. He was, in fact, a great scholar and a musician, loved hunting and jousting - but more than that, he was considered one of the most handsome young princes in Europe.
Henry became king at the age of 17 and married Katherine of Aragon, 6 years his senior and his dead brother's widow. In the show, unfortunately, his first queen seems to look much older than the youthful Jonathan Rhys Meyers - perhaps, this is one of the reasons why film critics and historians didn't appreciate the actor to play Henry. Next to Maria Doyle Kennedy, Rhys Meyers looks like a teenage boy indeed.
The show is set in 1520-21, however, when Henry was 34 years old, having been married for 17 years. Which Jonathan Rhys Meyers doesn't seem to match that well - he strikes the viewers as a 25 year old hot-headed prince, rather than a ruler with over 15 years of experience.
This is probably the main problem with The Tudors choice of casting: Jonathan Rhys Meyers gives us a whole timeline of Henry maturing and becoming the man who terrified his own wives. He is probably intended to seem younger in the first series, in order to make his infatuation with Anne Boleyn more plausible and relatable. Really, wouldn't a king in his mid-thirties, having fought several wars, be more knowledgeable of women and deceit by then? A wise man certainly wouldn't betray his marriage of 20 years, his loyal and royal wife, and fall for a sexy, yet clearly not so innocent, lady-in-waiting.
But that's exactly what happened in history
Henry was madly in love, despite his age (and 34 for in 16th century certainly wasn't the same as that in 21st) and experience in life and love, yet somehow he kept making the same mistakes throughout his life. The Tudors chose to explain that self-destructive pattern of behaviour with his personality traits - his youthful pride, short-temper, passion and eagerness for novelty and competition. He was a spoilt child not only when it came to women, but in all areas of his life - be it dancing, masquerades, jousting or food.
Casting Jonathan Rhys Meyers is exactly what the showrunners intended
The aim wasn't to show the elderly, paranoid and sick Henry - we've seen it before. It is about the journey - from a spoilt brat to the equally spoilt ruler with no restraints on him, the most powerful man in England, who believes himself to be eternally youthful and can't accept the reality of ageing.
Henry's private life was dedicated to convincing himself that he was that same 'handsomest prince of Europe', as the ambassadors called him when he was young. He doesn't settle for a wife that doesn't please him and can't match his previous queens, and at the age of 49 marries a girl almost 30 years younger than him. Katheryn Howard is exactly what he wished he could be - young, sexual, desirable, without care in the world. Having a more mature actor would have worked as well in the show - the contrast between 17 year old Katheryn and an ageing, fat actor would be striking, and serve as a great social commentary.
But that's not Henry saw himself. In his eyes, he was the same man as twenty years prior - and perhaps this was exactly the goal when making the show. Perhaps the showrunners should have gone insisted on the traditional route and aged Rhys Meyers properly - it would have reinforced the contrast before the young him and the old Henry, and it would have made his charismatic performance even more impactful. But for the first two seasons he was definitely a great choice, and a very powerful lead for the show as it is.