Matthew Rhys has become the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night at the Emmy Awards, for his roles in supernatural comedy Widow's Bay and psychological thriller The Beast In Me. But despite his Hollywood A-list status, the Cardiff-born actor has repeatedly shown a humble and accommodating side, according to those who have met him.
In a recent WalesOnline interview, Rhys blushed at the suggestion he was "Wales' greatest living actor" and pointed instead to Sir Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen. In a New York Times interview, he admitted he still struggles with self-confidence, saying: "I've just never felt that confidence, that self-assuredness that I always wished I had."
A favour asked in 2019
A journalist from WalesOnline recalls two encounters with Rhys. The first was an interview in Swansea for the 2008 film The Edge of Love, in which Rhys played Dylan Thomas. The second came in 2019, when Wales were preparing for the Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa.
The team at WalesOnline decided that the poem Now and Then by Owen Sheers would be the perfect message to inspire the team and fans. The journalist sent a message to Rhys, explaining who he was and asking if the actor would record it.
A generous response
Rhys replied quickly, greeting the journalist as if he were a dear old friend, and agreed to do it. He sent over the recording shortly afterwards. The journalist then suggested one part wasn't quite right and asked if Rhys might do it again, to which the actor politely replied he was "just busy filming at the moment" but would do it later if he could.
The journalist describes Rhys's generosity as something he remembers clearly and fondly, noting that few stars at that level would take time out of a filming schedule to help when they didn't have to. Rhys dedicated his recent Emmy awards "to the great and good people of Wales" and left the stage with "Diolch yn fawr iawn", meaning "thank you very much" in Welsh.
