Some of Showtime's artistic license can be excused as its goal is entertainment, not historical accuracy. What is INexcusable is its choice of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ("JRM") as Henry8. As a preliminary matter, JRM is too short. Henry8 was 6', which would correspond to 6'4" or so today, so he loomed over men around him. Shorter than most of the men in the cast (including Sam Neill and Jeremy Northam) JRM looks (and acts) like a Jack Russell amongst a pack of larger breed dogs. (Henry8's other notable feature was his red hair, and Showtime could easily have rudded JRM's hair to give more historical accuracy.) Henry8's physical superiority and characteristics were legendary, and certainly contributed to his confidence and his ability to intimidate strong-willed subjects and foreign potentates. This was a case where size mattered and Showtime simply should have cast the part of Henry8 with a larger actor.
Moreover, JRM does not understand Henry8. JRM, whose lack of classical training is painfully obvious, portrays the king as a nouveau riche goomba. Had JRM greater understanding he would have realized that meretricious swagger is not the same as confidence. JRM's Henry8 would be at home on 'Growing Up Gotti' while the aplomb and skill of the other actors (most notably Neill and Northam) show him up as common and juvenile.
None of the foregoing will matter, however, to viewers looking for mindless entertainment, and whatever its deficiencies, viewers are forced to learn some rudiments about one of history's most intriguing monarchs.
