Velvet Goldmine makes the case for Jonathan Rhys Meyers: he makes a star's allure entirely credible. We rate him when a part needs that glamour, though his posing can keep us at a distance.
Fi1m perspective
In Velvet Goldmine (1998), Jonathan Rhys Meyers's Brian Slade seems perfectly content to be admired. That can be a limitation, but Todd Haynes has given him a glam-rock star for whom posing is part of the job. Rhys Meyers supplies the allure the film needs, and we never struggle to understand why Slade attracts attention. We like him here, with the reservation that he sometimes lets that attraction do too much of the acting.
A small part in Neil Jordan's Michael Collins (1996) preceded his breakthrough lead as Brian Slade, which established glamour as one of his chief assets. Woody Allen's Match Point (2005) gave him the morally complicated lead Chris Wilton, while Mission: Impossible III (2006) put him alongside Tom Cruise as Declan. His Henry VIII in The Tudors (2007–2010) made authority a central part of his television work. The king is an understandable role for an actor whose intensity can suggest that he expects to get his way.
His fellow actors in Velvet Goldmine show what his composure can cost. Ewan McGregor's Curt Wild is less guarded, and his abandon gives Rhys Meyers something useful to play against. We were moved more than we expected by McGregor's pleasure in performing. The contrast keeps the film lively when Haynes's storytelling becomes cumbersome. Toni Collette's ease as Mandy Slade makes Rhys Meyers's posing more conspicuous, and leaves us wishing he would let a feeling show with similar directness.
Rhys Meyers also does his own singing in Velvet Goldmine. There is work behind the allure, and Haynes gives it a proper use in a film whose performances and music carry some untidy storytelling. We would welcome more roles that make him drop his guard, rather than rely quite so heavily on how persuasive he looks while keeping it up. For a first encounter, Velvet Goldmine is the place to start.
Biography
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor. Born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe on 27 July 1977, he adopted his stage name early in his career. His film debut was as Collins' Assassin in Michael Collins (1996).
He is known for roles in Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Match Point (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and as Henry VIII in the television series The Tudors (2007–2010). He won a Golden Globe Award for playing Elvis Presley in the 2005 miniseries Elvis.
