Hollywood star Jonathan Rhys Meyers has revealed his Irish-ness helped him deal with rejection when trying to make it as an actor.
The Cork star said he would always remember “that being Irish is special” in his hear when Tinseltown told him “no, no, no”.
He said: “I’ve had so much rejection. I went to Hollywood and was told no, no, no, then some people said yes, then some people said no.
Love: Jonathan and girlfriend Mara Lane
“I’ve had ups and downs, I’ve fallen down as much as I’ve gotten up, I think you do that in life. But I’ve always remembered at the core of it that being Irish is special.”
But Jonathan admits it was a change from his initial thinking – which was wanting to leave Ireland.
He added: “For me when I first started it was something to do as a job because I wanted to get out. This was the typical Irish story, I wanted to get out of Ireland, I wanted to do something,.”
And the ex-Tudors star, who was speaking as he accepted an Irish Post Legend Award, said Ireland will always have a special place in his heart – especially the countryside.
Tudors: Jonathan made his name in series
He said: “There was something about Irish country people, something about the land that really made me very proud.”
But Jonathan revealed that trust of people is all that has kept him sane during his career.
He said: “You have to trust the people that you work with. I’ve worked with some brilliant people, people that are really kind.
“And we’re not just the talking about the directors and the producers and the people on the higher echelons.
“We’re talking about some mornings I’ll walk onto the set of the Tudors and my driver Alan from Dublin who will be the one who’ll get me through the day.”
