Six things we learned about Michael Sheen
Actor Michael Sheen made his name as a Shakespearean stage actor before finding fame in numerous notable film and television roles portraying real-life characters, from Brian Clough to Tony Blair. Outside of acting he’s known as an outspoken political campaigner, Unicef Ambassador and keen Welsh football fan. Here are some of the things he revealed on Loose Ends.
1. He went to Rupert Murdoch’s mansion to meet Tony Blair
Sheen has played Tony Blair on three occasions but a chance encounter with Rupert Murdoch’s former wife Wendi led to an invite to meet with the former Prime Minister at the media mogul’s mansion. “It’s kind of a cliché or something, but he lived in a Bond villain’s lair,” Sheen jokes. “He has an entire hill in Los Angeles and the house is on the top, you go through gates and wind your way up… I get there and I’m whisked through the house and suddenly, literally, I find myself I find myself in front of Tony Blair! And Wendi Murdoch, as she was then, says, ‘Tony – it’s you! What do you think?’ and people suddenly crowded around and they said, ‘What do you think of Michael’s performance?’ and he was like, ‘Ah, nah, I’ve never seen it.’ And then when everyone moved away he asked me very detailed questions about individual scenes.”
2. He’s helped bring the Homeless World Cup to Wales
Having discovered the positive impact the organisation was having on the lives of homeless people, he attended the annual in Oslo with the Welsh team. “I thought: ‘Why not bring it to Wales?’” he says, and now he has, with the event coming to Cardiff between 27 July and 3 August this year.
3. He could have been a professional footballer before getting the acting bug
Sheen was offered a place on Arsenal's youth team but turned it down. “I was very good when I was 12, after that I went a bit downhill,” he says and admits that his final choice of career may have had nefarious motives: “The acting sort of came in the early teens, when I saw, ‘Oh there are more girls involved in acting than in football.’”
4. He says the trick of playing public figures is all about the first five minutes
As well as Blair, Sheen has played other real life roles such as Kenneth Williams, David Frost and Brian Clough. “A lot of the work goes into essentially the first five minutes,” he explains. “You can make people feel comfortable and relaxed... then you want to take them on the ride or the journey of any other play or film.” It's all in the planning, he says: “I have to put loads of work into that side of things and then let it go.”
5. His greatest compliments have come from footballers who knew Brian Clough
His dual passions – football and acting – collided when he played Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, and he takes great pride in the fact that those who knew the great man thought he did a good job. “That means the most,” he says. “When I meet other players, or players that played for him, or people who were around the game, when they say that they’ve enjoyed it then that’s special.”
6. He was in pain when he had his hair dyed (but pretended not to be)
His stars as an angel (opposite David Tennant’s demon) in upcoming 大象传媒 Two series Good Omens. “I had to bleach my hair for it,“ he explains. “I went to a salon in Knightsbridge somewhere, they sent me off there to do it, I was there with all these beautiful ladies of various ages, and when they bleached my hair it really hurt! Nothing against the salon but it burnt! I thought I have to keep a stiff upper lip, because there’s all these ladies here, they’re not complaining.”
