'Tudors' to keep King Henry VIII slim

LONDON, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Producers with the Showtime original series "The Tudors" say they will not accurately portray the hefty weight of Britain's King Henry VIII.

"Tudors" Executive Producer Morgan O'Sullivan, whose series also airs on BBC2, said the decision not to have actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers wear a fat suit in his ongoing portrayal of the notoriously overweight 16th-century ruler was to maintain the star's appeal, The Times of London reported Saturday.

"We still want him to be appealing," O'Sullivan said of his series' star.

"We don't want to destroy his good looks. An exact portrayal of Henry is not a factor that we think is important."

The Times said Henry VIII once reached a 54-inch waistline and at one point needed to be helped onto his horse with a hoisting device prior to his death in 1547.

While "Tudors" officials are clearly not intending on plumping up the 31-year-old actor for their historical series, they did tell the Times that Rhys Meyers has been aged for the ongoing second season of the series.