Period pieces are Jonathan Rhys Meyers' specialty.

He's played Dracula, Henry VIII in The Tudors, and even Elvis. But his most recent period piece has been The History Channel's Vikings, where he played Bishop Heahmund.

He was introduced during season four of the show, which has a loyal fanbase and some of the most impressive sets that could rival Game of Thrones. Even though the show wasn't always accurate, Meyers' character was based on a real person. We loved his affair with Lagertha, played by Katheryn Winnick, but unfortunately, he was killed during the Battle of Marton.

But what many fans don't know is that well before he graced our screens on Vikings, Meyers' was already knees deep in his own personal battle with alcoholism. After his time on the show, the battle unfortunately continued and his career entered into a bit of a stale period. Here's the story of what happened to Meyers.

His Career Declined After 'Vikings'

After Heahmund was killed off on Vikings, Meyers told Variety that he knew his character was never going to survive. "Heahmund is only a footnote in history [so] there was no precedent to have his character continue.

"The nature of the character and his intensity means that he is much like a Roman candle: it must shine bright, have its effect and leave.

Related: What Katheryn Winnick And The Rest Of The Vikings Cast Has Said About The Show

"The death scene was filmed in the snow and bitter cold in a rather enclosed field, and of course these scenes must be very intense and quite mechanical to shoot as we are dealing with arrows, but it does have a fluidity in its manifestation of the circumstances and consequences of his death and what it means for Lagertha."

The series creator, Michael Hirst, also knew Meyers' run on the show would be short, but said that the actor was perfect for the role.

"Jonny [Rhys Meyers] was perfect for that role, absolutely perfect. Of course, I’d worked with him before [on The Tudors] and I knew the passion and charisma that he’d bring to the role. But I also knew right from the start that it wouldn’t necessarily be a protracted role."

When his time ended, Meyers appeared in the film Awake but hasn't starred in anything else since. The reason for his absence in the industry recently is more than likely due to all the problems he's been having in his private life.

Airports Are Not His Thing

Meyers has struggled with alcoholism for more than a decade now. Starting in 2005, he was in and out of rehab and has been arrested and detained a number of times. Airports seem to be the places where he has the most trouble.

He was arrested in 2007 after he was in a drunken fight in Dublin and in 2009, he was detained for punching a Charles De Gaulle airport lounge employee. The next year he was banned for life from United Airlines after he was once again detained for being drunk.

Back in 2017, he was caught and detained by police when he showed up drunk at Dublin Airport trying to get on a flight.

The Daily Mirror reported that several witnesses saw Meyers looking completely out of it but not causing a hassle. This apparently happened after he and his wife had a miscarriage.

Related: 15 Things About The Characters From Vikings That Make No Sense

In March of 2018, Meyers was detained by the police after he reportedly had a drunken fight with his wife, Mara, at the Los Angeles International Airport. He was also caught vaping in the plane's toilet, which is a federal violation.

They were traveling home from getting Meyers holistic treatment for anger issues, and their one-year-old son was with them on the flight from Miami to Los Angeles.

Passengers on the plane were reportedly disgusted with Meyers' profanity and yelling during the fight. Airport police detained him when they landed, but he was eventually let go after the FBI chose not to respond to police.

Not long after the public drunkenness and fight with his wife at LAX, Meyers was arrested for driving under the influence in November 2020. Meyers was arrested after he crashed his car in Malibu.

Us Weekly reports that Meyers is now facing two criminal charges, "one count of driving under the influence of alcohol" and another, "driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or more." He's due in court on February 25. His first appearance since his arrest happened when he was recently seen with Mel Gibson in early January.

Related: 15 Vikings Characters We Wish Were Still Around In Season 6

Meyers' told Event in 2018, "I’ve been to a lot of rehab centers in my life... I went to three in one year and I talked to my therapist. I would be known as somebody who relapses with problem drinking, not alcoholism. I don’t suffer from alcoholism – I suffer from an allergy to alcohol every time I drink it. But once I stop, I never think about it again.

"That doesn’t mean that the problem is any less, it just means I have a different version of it. But when I drink, the consequences are so devastating that it is a problem. But I never need a drink. It’s not something that I crave."

Meyers continued to say that airports are a trigger for him because he has to wait for long periods of time and he's surrounded by alcohol.

On a positive note, Meyers has a boatload of projects lined up in the coming years, including American Night, Yakuza Princess, The SurvivalistRajah, and The Cuisine War. So it seems like he's gotten his life back together in his hiatus after Vikings. He also has an incredible support system with his family and especially his wife, so he's in good hands. Maybe he prayed to the bishop.

Next: ‘Vikings': How Close Are Katheryn Winnick And Alex Hogh?