Jonathan Rhys Meyers' guitar Rush

Nov 23, 2007, 12:30 GMT

Jonathan Rhys Meyers - © Glenn Harris / Photorazzi

Jonathan Rhys Meyers learned to sing and play the guitar for his new film.

'The Tudors' star plays a musician in love story 'August Rush' and is quick to point out he performed all the music himself.

Jonathan said: "I sang and played the guitar myself I recorded the songs, so I sung all my own songs on the soundtrack."

His co-star Keri Russell had to learn to play the cello for the film and was forced to practice for hours on end.

She said: "Oh boy did I have to practice. Hours and hours a day!"

The pair play young lovers ripped apart only to later discover they have a son - a musical prodigy who uses his gift as a clue to finding his birth parents. Their son is played by 15-year-old 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' star Freddie Highmore, who had to play the guitar, the organ and conduct an entire orchestra in the movie.

Jonathan, 30, is currently grieving the death of his mother Geraldine, 50, who passed away in Ireland's Cork hospital on Tuesday (20.11.07).

The troubled star - who has a well documented ongoing battle against alcoholism - was seen drinking a can of strong cider as he walked in London just hours of learning of her death.

Geraldine single-handedly raised the 'Match Point' star after his father walked out on three-year-old Jonathan, his mother and his brother Alan, taking the star's two elder brothers with him.

(C) BANG Media International