During this chat at the Waldorf-Astoria, Rhys Meyers declares, "I didn't want to drink anymore. It's that simple. I'm not good when I drink, so therefore I don't drink."

He recounts anecdotes about Richard Burton guzzling vodka during the filming of 1963's "Cleopatra" with Elizabeth Taylor, and he says he would have punched out Burton.

While innocent until proven otherwise, it appears Rhys Meyers, who entered rehab in April after wrapping "August Rush," still has demons to slay if he is to reach his goal.

"When I decided I wanted to be a film actor and stuff like that," he explains, "I'm not somebody who says, 'Yeah I wanna be this great actor, but I hate the fame thing, man.' No, I have to buy into the whole [bleeping] thing."

Rhys Meyers has the equipment for stardom. He's collected strong credits -- from the sociopath tennis pro in Woody Allen's "Match Point" to a lusty King Henry VIII in Showtime's "The Tudors." He has a bad-boy aura from hard nights out chronicled in the gossip pages. He is handsome, with a scar on the top of his lip that gives the appearance of a perpetual sneer. And he's got a back story -- his dad left him when he was 3 (they have reconnected as adults).

He had a plan, too. Not a blueprint but certainly as exact as any actor could create. After a run of roles that highlighted his characters' virility, he took on "August Rush" as an addition "to the parental loving part of the r�sume," he says. "This is the guy that you could take your mom to meet."

Rhys Meyers plays a rock 'n' roll hack who has a one-starry-night stand with a concert cellist (Keri Russell). Twelve years later, the musically gifted son they never knew they had (trust us) escapes from an upstate orphanage to Manhattan. Urban pixie dust takes care of the rest.

"I wanted to do something soft," says Rhys Meyers, who, pointing out that he had portrayed Elvis Presley in a 2005 miniseries, had no problem buying into the fantasy of "August Rush."

So what does the r�sume need now?

"There is an element of taking what you get up to a certain point," he says. "Then you become more successful, maybe win an award or two, and people start asking your opinions. And then suddenly for the first time in your career, the doors open for you to push in the direction that you want to push in."

The County Cork native recalls appearing in Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine" as a wisp of a 19-year-old glam rocker (his first role in a major film was two years earlier in "Michael Collins") and how he muscled up to look more manly over the years. It was a calculated move to put destiny a little more in his control.

Until last week's incident, he seemed determined not to take any more detours. Often portrayed by the press as brooding, the "Bend It Like Beckham" star plays the perfect host during this chat. He makes steady eye contact and opens up about his efforts to take the next step.

He has turned many of his films into classrooms. On "Mission Impossible III" he learned from Tom Cruise the importance of grace with picture takers and autograph hounds. They are your audience, the mega-star told him. On "Match Point," director Allen reminded Rhys Meyers of the importance of luck. Radha Mitchell, his co-star in the upcoming "Children of Huang Shi," offered her notes on conversations with Denzel Washington: However you feel personally on the set that day, inject it in the scene.

"That's where you become a professional," says Rhys Meyers, who confesses to "wicked insecurity." "That's where you get over yourself."

Rhys Meyers' life took a drastic turn as a high school dropout in a Dublin pool hall. He met a local talent agent who encouraged him to attend auditions. He also met a man who would become his surrogate father, a farmer who employed Rhys Meyers and then invited him to live with his family in the country. (The man was recently arrested on child molestation charges in Morocco.

Rhys Meyers told Details magazine that there was no impropriety when he lived there and that he hadn't spoken to the man in three years.) He and his real father, a musician, spent the summer in Ireland and are friends, he says.

Rhys Meyers could probably use some parental support right now. In a seemingly confident moment during our interview that now carries a tin echo, the actor said, "I'm happy to be here and do what I'm doing. Long may it last."