Jonathan Rhys Meyers 'became' Henry VIII while playing the English king in TV series The Tudors, and stayed in character for the entire five and a half month shoot.
The Irish actor found it a tough task taking on the role, because he looks nothing like the 16th century monarch - so he opted to live and breathe Henry day and night while filming the forthcoming third season of the hit show.
Rhys Meyers explains, "I never left the character for the whole 5 1/2 months I shot it.
"What I do is isolate myself while I'm shooting it. I lived in a house on my own. It's very Spartan, I don't have luxuries. I go to the gym, all of this almost physical meditation. That's what it takes, because I don't look like Henry, so I have to do more to be Henry VIII.
"I don't phone people up, don't see people, don't see my friends."
In other news its been revealed bosses on hit TV show The Tudors have reportedly banned all alcohol from the set - in a bid to help star Jonathan Rhys Meyers beat his addictions.
The actor is said to have just completed a month-long stint in a rehabilitation centre in Essex, England, following a previous stay in a recovery clinic in 2007 to treat alcohol abuse.
And now producers on the hit programme, which films in Bray, Ireland, have reportedly imposed an alcohol ban on the set to eliminate temptation for the star.
A source tells Britain's Daily Star, "The decision was made to ban all alcohol from the set to remove temptation for Jonathan."
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