Tubridy defends Rhys Meyers after drunken airport arrest

BROADCASTER Ryan Tubridy has defended actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who appeared on RTÉ’s Tubridy Tonight hours before he was arrested at Dublin Airport.

The Cork-born star, 30, was arrested at a check-in desk on Sunday morning and charged with public order offences.

He had come to Dublin for one night to appear on the Tubridy Tonight show where he promoted his new film August Rush.

But Mr Tubridy said Rhys Meyers was well behaved at the RTÉ studios.

“He came in just for the show and he was scooting off the next day, I think it was back to London. I met him in the green room before the show and he was drinking tea. He was very charming and very affable. He was very lovely to the make-up artist who was there.

“He was gone by the time I had finished the show. I don’t know where he went between there and Dublin Airport,” said Mr Tubridy.

Rhys Meyers is reported to have spent the rest of the night partying with friends in the popular music venue Whelan’s on Wexford Street in Dublin.

According to one eyewitness who saw his arrest at the airport, the following day, the actor was “looking worse for wear”.

An airport worker said he became abusive after he was not permitted on a flight to London because he was deemed “unfit to travel”. He was arrested and brought to Whitehall Garda Station where he was questioned for five hours.

Rhys Meyers was charged with being drunk and a breach of the peace, and was released to appear before Dublin District Court next month.

On RTÉ radio yesterday, Mr Tubridy said the public should not be too hard on him: “One of the things I noticed on the research brief before interviewing him was that when he was celebrating his 30th birthday recently, he was filming The Tudors at the time. He went to see The Simpsons movie and then had tea and cake.

“I don’t know what happened in Dublin Airport. But if we look at Richard Harris and Peter O’Toole, they were wild. Bring back a bit of colour. He’s a Hollywood superstar, he’s an A-lister, it would be a bit boring if he was so dull. You know the way Hollywood is, if you have two beers, you’re an alcoholic — that sort of stupid stuff,” he said.

Mr Tubridy said Rhys Myers was one of the most popular stars he’d had on his show. “When I went out beforehand and said to the audience ‘you know who we have on tonight’, three or four women started screaming. When I introduced him, they were leaning out of their seats clapping. There was this surge forward,” he said.