Star reveals why he abandoned LA for rural farm life

Former Hollywood heart-throb Jonathan Rhys Meyers has revealed the series of personal disasters that forced him to quit Los Angeles for a 20-acre farm in rural Ireland. The Golden Globe winner, who starred in 2000s hits Bend It Like Beckham and Match Point The Tudors, lost his US work visa, his marriage and his home in the space of a few years. Speaking on The Late Late Show, the 49-year-old opened up about losing his California residence in the devastating 2025 wildfires. “It was a shock to the system,” Meyers said. “I was furious for a couple of months, and then months down the line, you kind of think of the cathartic value of … well, that’s all been taken away for a reason. “Maybe the cup has to be emptied. You fill the cup up with something else. But, you know, it’s all rebuildable.” It was not his first major property loss in the US. In 2022, the Elvis star sold his long-held Hollywood Hills home for $US2.35m ($A3.5m) after purchasing it in 2007 for $US1.6m ($A2.4m). MORE: ‘Can’t pay’: 60yo Shania Twain exposes sad life ‘I tried’: Vanished Imbruglia sad update at 51 Gervais forced to marry lover over cash blow Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keira Knightley in 2003 film Bend It Like ...