Interview with Geri O'Keeffe (JRM's mother)

I found this one on thefreelibrary.com, an inteview from the Irish Mirror from 2006 I think. I had never seen it before. Enjoy:


GOLDEN Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July, 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe in Dublin, Ireland to Geraldine Meyers and John O'Keeffe. Conceived out of love but born out of wedlock, his 20-year-old mother Geraldine Meyers kept her unplanned pregnancy silent.

Six months pregnant, having never breathed a word to anyone except the baby's father John O'Keeffe, she moved from Cork to Dublin.

Ger told the Irish Daily Mirror: "I was scared to death to tell my family about being pregnant.

"Johnny was born in July and I did not tell them until October."

And as if Ger, who was living alone in Dublin, did not have enough to deal with, she went into labour two months early. On July 27, 1977, with no one by her side she gave birth in St James' Hospital to her son, Jonathan, who weighed just 2lbs 2.5oz.

And if fate had not already dealt the single mother enough cruel blows, she was warned by doctors to prepare for the worst - not only was her son premature, he had been born with a kidney defect.

Ger said: "Johnny was so sick, I did not know whether or not he was going to live. The doctors told me he was going to die.

"I cried because there was nobody there for me." Instead of confiding in her family, Ger continued to guard her secret for another three months. She added: "I did not want to put them through the agony if they were not going to see their grandchild.

"I did not want to upset my parents, that's why I did not tell them. Nobody knew, just me and John."

However, Johnny, who was rushed to neo-natal before being transferred to the National Children's Hospital, defied the odds.

Ger said: "I always had hope that Johnny would pull through - he was a wee fighter and still is."

After spending the first seven months of his life in hospital, the tiny tot was finally discharged on February 14, 1978 - Valentine's Day. Ger added: "When we arrived back in Cork my dad just looked at him and said he was precious and he was." Having tied the knot with Johnny's father the previous month in a small service in front of close family and friends, Ger settled down in Cork to married life.

She said: "I met John in 1976 and I fell for him straight away. He had beautiful eyes and was very gentle.

"On my wedding day, I remember standing at the end of the church with my dad and he said, 'You know you do not have to do this' but I said, 'Dad, I love him'."

Ger and her musician husband moved into her father William and mother Margaret's Cork home and in August 1978 history repeated itself when Alan was born premature - and again in September 1979 when Jamie arrived early.

One year later, and four months pregnant with their fourth child Paul, husband John walked out of the family home never to return.

Ger added: "We had a happy marriage in the first few years but unfortunately it didn't work out for us but we are still friends. He was going out to play with a band and never came home. Two weeks later it hit me, I was pregnant at the time and my emotions were all over the place but it meant there were no rows, I couldn't beg him to stay and it did not prolong the situation. I was devastated. but it was over and there was nothing to do but get on with it.

"I have no regrets because we have four beautiful boys."

Ger, who is furious about aspersions that have been cast about John's role as a father, says he was very much part of his sons' lives.

She said: "A lot of things have been said about John but he never let his children down, he was a fantastic father to the boys and still is.

"He maintained contact with the kids, he may not have seen them every week but the boys were not without a dad."

However, her husband's departure left Ger with four children under the age of four to raise on her own while also caring for her sick mother and father.

Her mother-in-law Mrs O'Keeffe, whom she is still very close to, stepped in with a helping hand and it was decided Ger would raise Johnny and Alan while she would care for Jamie and Paul. Ger added: "I was very lucky that I had a wonderful family and in-laws.

"We did not have any money, it was difficult but we made the most of it. There was always food on the table, clothes for the kids and holidays.

"Lies that Johnny grew up in an orphanage are not only untrue but very hurtful. It's not easy being an actor's mother.

"My boys were never taken from me by social workers, placed in care or an orphanage. They had a happy childhood because they got an awful lot of love and affection.

"When you sit down and think about your life you say 'Jesus, did I make a mistake or what?'.

"But I know I did not make a mistake because I have four of the most beautiful children in the world.

"The boys all had a happy childhood. A lot of what has been written about John and Ger is not true and has caused a lot of hurt."

Although all of Ger's children left home in their teens to pursue their hopes and dreams, she is in regular contact with them.

Alan, Jamie and Paul all moved to Jersey to live with their father while Johnny formed a close relationship with Christopher Croft, who introduced him into acting.

Jonathan, who is dating Mission Impossible 3 co-star Maggie Q, has gone on to star in a series of huge Hollywood movies including Match Point.

Ger said: "Christopher and Johnny have a great relationship.

"Johnny is very close to his sons Alex and Chris and his daughter Rowena is Johnny's personal assistant.

"I am very thankful to Christopher for everything he has done.

"I am very proud of my son, I always knew he was going to be something special.

"I think he will go on to achieve bigger and better things, there's an Oscar with his name on it."

Redstar, touching interview of Jonny's mother. I think her life was very hard, but she does not complain about it.

I think this interview with his mother just proves that much of what has been written about Jonny and his childhood is untrue and hugely exaggerated. The press is just horrible, and not only hurtful to Jonny but also to his family!

Audrey you are right, most of them just copy and paste, not research at all, to say the least.

I found another interview with Jonny's mother, from early 2006, just after Jonny won his Golden Globe. Credit to JRM Update, which I have recently discovered, but is not updated any more. Search for JRM update on google and you should find it. Lots of photos as well.

Title: "Star's Mother Reveals Torment Which Got Him Expelled from his Cork School" Ann Mooney
Article Type: Interview with JRM's mother Geraldine O'Keeffe
Source: Ireland on Sunday
Date: February 05, 2006


HEART-THROB JONATHAN Rhys Meyers was so badly bullied as a child that he hated going to school, his mother, Geri, revealed this week. The Hollywood star played truant so regu¬larly that, when he was 15, the school wrote to Geri telling her he had been expelled. `Jonny was kicked out at 15,' she said. `He was attending North Mon in Cork and he never did his Inter or Leaving Cert. `He didn't want to go back anyway because he hated school. He had a terrible time there because he was different. He always had a specialness that made him stand out. Because of that, the other boys used to mock him and laugh at him and call him awful names.'
Geri said she. had always believed her son was destined for great things. Speaking the day after she proudly watched Jonathan receive Cork City's highest honour - a civic reception from Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune - she said she could not have been more proud of her son.

That same day, Geri celebrated her 49th birth¬day. She received a beautiful bunch of flowers, a Gucci bag and a chocolate cake from Jonathan. Geri lives with her partner in a house Jonathan bought for her eight years ago in Hazelwood Gardens in Glanmire, on the Cork outskirts. Also at the public reception was Christopher Croft, the dairy farmer from Buttevant who was a major influence on Jonathan's life in his late teens. Geri said: `Christopher offered him a job on his farm and Jonny moved into the Croft home, where he saw a completely different lifestyle. `Christopher was his surrogate father, really. He has a lot to thank him for.'

In a strange twist of fate, expul¬sion from school worked out well for the likeable actor, who seems unaffected by all the attention he has attracted since winning the Golden Globe for his portrayal of the King in the American televi¬sion mini-series, Elvis. In his late teens, he spent a lot of time in the Victoria Sporting Club in Cork city. Here he was spotted by Hubbard Casting looking for young Cork actors to star in the movie, War Of The Buttons. He was in line for the lead role but producer Neil Jordan said he was too good-looking. `That was the best thing that hap¬pened to him because Neil gave him a Rolex watch, which he still has, and told Jonny to keep audi¬tioning because he had a special star quality,' Geri said.

In an interview after the civic reception, Jonathan said: `Grow¬ing up in Cork in the '80s was tough because we had no money. But everyone was in the same boat, and I suppose that created a great bond of unity between us all. `I love Cork and I love coming back to meet my friends and fam¬ily. It is my spiritual home. `School was a nightmare in many ways, as it was for many kids. I found growing up very difficult, but I defy any young fellow not to feel that. I was very lucky because I got a break and fell into acting almost by chance. I went for loads of auditions and did commercials. `I was always a bit of a dreamer. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like the stars, maybe someone like Richard Harris or Peter O'Toole.' He admitted he was a bit of a hellraiser in his 20s. `That was enough; I have given up drinking completely. I am a better actor if I get to sleep at 11 at night and have a healthy lifestyle.'

Jonathan, who co-stars with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III, due for release in May, refuses to take anything for granted. `I am very grateful for everything I have,' he says. `As soon as I start becoming ungracious, my luck will go away. If I stop being gracious then I stop being who I am - and that's my most productive asset.' His family and his brothers keep him grounded. When he was voted runner-up in the sexiest man in Ire¬land poll, his brothers told him, `at least you beat Marty Whelan'. `They look at me and say, "Sexi¬est man? They must be hard up".'

Jonathan said he lives `a quiet life' in Camden, London, with his girlfriend, Reena Hammer. He phones Geri from all over the world. `He will often ring at four in the morning. Once he rang from LA to say he had a toothache and he wanted to know what to do about it,' she said. Her main advice to him is: `Do not fall to the Meyers curse.' Asked what it was, she said, `drink'.

Jonathan has several more movies lined up, including one for Kirsten Sheridan, Jim's daughter, in which he will play the father of a 10-year-old boy genius. He plans to buy a house in Dublin, where he will film a mini-series on Henry VIII. `I try to use the money I make wisely,' he said. `But really, I am not into money. I am motivated by good work, because good work breeds more good work.'

The first interview is sad. Her 4 sons were born early and she had them back to back at a very young age. She was a very courageous mother. Sidenote: I noticed that they created a girlfriend for Jonathan. Anyway...

P.S: Thank you Audrey for the article. It's very interesting to have a point of view of someone who knows Jonathan personnally and what a better person than his own mother.

Thanks for the interview Audrey! You´re always right! I love this interviews because like sunflowerj say talk a very close person to him..