Henry VIII in The Tudors: Romantic Renaissance Warrior or Soap Opera Playboy?

Abstract

Henry VIII is both the main character and the central problem of The Tudors.¹ While creator/writer Michael Hirst’s selection of Jonathan Rhys Meyers to portray Henry may appeal to a young audience, it is awkward otherwise. Meyers looks nothing like Henry. His spare physique inhibits discerning viewers from suspending disbelief and leads to unintentional comedy, notably when wrestles with Francis I (Emmanuel Leconte), who is a full head taller. In early episodes Meyers’ youth is an advantage; however, he never ages significantly save for a sparse beard and an unconvincing grayish tint to his hair, and he remains thin, unlike the morbidly obese older Henry, because he refused to wear a fat suit. As for acting, his only concessions to the king’s advancing years are an occasional limp and his inexplicable adoption in Season Four of a choked Scots accent. Meyers is not a bad actor, but he is miscast, Henry mischaracterized, and the history of his reign often misrepresented. Nor does Meyers compare favorably with stronger cast members, notably Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, Sam Neill as Wolsey, and Jeremy Northam as More, all gone by the end of Season Two. Without the dramatic tension between Catherine and Anne and with an overall weaker cast and script, Seasons Three and Four are less engaging, and this affects Meyers’ Henry. Overall, his portrayal is a significant departure from traditional representations, yet The Tudors is so popular that Meyers’ hip but diminutive monarch could become the new popular image of Henry.²