Love him tender: Rhys Meyers hopes his `Elvis' is a hit By Amy Amatangelo Sunday, May 8, 2005 A lad from County Cork, Ireland, playing the king of rock 'n' roll?      Sounds like someone in casting was all shook up, doesn't it?      Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who stars as Elvis Presley in the CBS miniseries ``Elvis'' (beginning tonight at 9 on WBZ, Ch. 4), thought so, too.      ``It was just kind of stunning, you know,'' Rhys Meyers said in a recent conference call with reporters. ``There's a little bit of fear. It's Elvis Presley and everybody knows Elvis, and I'm Irish. I'm not from America.''      When he was first approached, Rhys Meyers, probably best known for playing the hunky soccer coach in ``Bend It Like Beckham,'' was filming the upcoming Woody Allen movie ``Match Point'' and turned the role down.      Then he realized it was now or never.      ``If I'm going to be afraid of things in my life, then it is all going to be pointless. I enjoyed the risk-taking of it. I thought, `Why not play Elvis?' ''      The actor discovered he had quite a bit in common with the American icon.      ``I was also from a very poor family, so I could understand the not having and the really striving to get things. When you're poor, you're poor, and it's a very international thing. . . . I was a daydreamer. I always dreamed of being something that I wasn't. It sort of motivated me to get out there and do things that poor boys in Cork don't do. . . . I was always the underdog. I still am the underdog because you can take the boy out of the poor, but you can't take the poor out of the boy. That's still with me even today.''      Like Presley, Rhys Meyers also bought his mom a house with his first few paychecks.      The four-hour miniseries was filmed in New Orleans and even shot for a day at Graceland. Even though ``Elvis'' had the blessing and full cooperation of the Presley family, Rhys Meyers did not meet with ex-wife Priscilla or daughter Lisa Marie. He's aware that some devoted fans might be critical of his performance.      ``I'm sure I'll get some nice things, and then people will say some bad things. I hope they say nice things. I did my best as an actor. If you are going to play Elvis Presley, you've got to be aware there are going to be some people who are going to be really critical and really picky about it.''      To capture the essence of a man who remains beloved 28 years after his death, Rhys Meyers studied the pelvic thrusts, the hip swivels and the distinctive accent.      ``I viewed the tapes, got the movements roughly down, then I tried to give my own sort of natural zest to it. I didn't want it to be exactly by the numbers; I wanted it to be more organic. With playing Elvis, I think it starts with the heart more than anything else. You got to love his story first. You got to love his joy in what he used to do and his love for his family and the people that were really close to him.''      The miniseries dubs in Presley's voice whenever Meyers appears to sing. The story ends with Presley's 1968 comeback special on NBC, and Rhys Meyers is happy about that.      ``The Vegas Elvis wasn't Elvis. That wasn't who he was. I used to get really upset and angry when I saw those videotapes because he was being torn apart inside and out. What we wanted people to know in this particular project was how extraordinary he was." home | new | the man | lisa marie | priscilla & others | fun | clothes | photos | records | movies | concerts | gifts | web | guide | e-cards | today | facts Click here for more info on the book The Girls' Guide to Elvis Click here to check out sister book The Girls' Guide to Country Click here to check out the latest sister book The Ultimate Guide to Chick Flicks