“Then about a week later, I got a rejection letter from the British Army saying, ‘Thank you for your interest, good luck in your career’.
“And I went, ‘Oh my God, I can’t even join the army’.”
He has come a long way since then.
Now Rhys, who said he comes from a line of mariners, is starring in Apple TV’s horror-comedy Widow’s Bay.
In the series he portrays the mayor of a New England town trying to attract tourists while playing down reports of the supernatural.
“It’s not Fishguard, but it’s heavily based on it,” joked Rhys, whose mum is from the town.
He said he explained during his interview for the part he was from a country with a history of mythology.
