22/03/2026
'I drank alone. I wanted oblivion all the time. I'd buy two bottles of vodka and lock the door'
Jonathan Rhys Myers
Like most addicts, Jonathan Rhys Meyers can remember the day he had his first sip of alcohol.
It was in the decadent surrounds of Hazlitt’s hotel in Soho, London. Jonathan was 24 and on an upward trajectory in Hollywood when he made the choice that would see his life begin to unravel.
“I was having a little bit of success at the time and I was young and thought I was fabulous,” he says, staring into the middle distance.
“And I remember opening the minibar and there was Heineken in there. Now, problems with alcohol have always been prevalent in my family; my mother had her own problems with alcohol. So, I thought to myself, if I take that Heineken, I’m going to have a problem too. And yet, I did it anyway.”
It’s a Thursday night when we meet in Dublin’s Intercontinental and the 48-year-old Cork-born actor is attempting to describe the madness of his addiction.
His early career reads like a dream CV. In 2006, he won the Golden Globe for best actor for his portrayal of Elvis in a CBS mini-series, and from 2007 to 2010 he starred as Henry VIII in The Tudors, for which he won two Golden Globe nominations.
“I started late,” says Jonathan. “I was almost 25 when I started drinking. But the progression was vertical, like a rocket. By 26, I was morning drinking and I was in my first treatment centre at 27.”
His drinking was never continuous. “They were sporadic relapses that would last two or three days. They were usually brought on by a sense of fear mixed with boredom and loneliness. You can use a multitude of different excuses. But I wanted oblivion all the time.
“I never did drugs because they weren’t immediate enough. It was much easier for me to go to an off-licence, buy two bottles of vodka and lock the door. I didn’t have to depend on anybody. It was legal and I could do it anywhere.