Read below the latest “What I’ve Learnt” column on The Times newspaper featuring Michael, where he shares what he has learnt from parenthood to his work and life:
Award-winning actor Michael Sheen, 50, played Tony Blair in The Deal and The Queen, Brian Clough in The Damned United, and David Frost in Frost/Nixon. He has a 20-year-old daughter with actress Kate Beckinsale and dated the US comedian Sarah Silverman. He is the father of seven-week-old Lyra with his partner, the Swedish actress Anna Lundberg.
Pretty much everything my parents told me to do, I didn’t. But as I’ve got older, I’ve ended up doing what they did, like community activism. I was a keen footballer and when I was 12 I was offered a place with Arsenal’s youth team, but my parents didn’t want to relocate to London. I was upset, but the chance of playing professional football in the Premier League is so slim. Ultimately, I was grateful to them.
I’m a bit obsessed with quiz shows. My new Pointless Celebrities trophy takes pride of place on my mantelpiece. I won it with [actor] Steve Pemberton.
Exploitative credit companies are a disgrace. They prey on people. Being in debt is a hard subject to talk about – it affects your pride. I set up the End High Cost Credit Alliance to encourage fairer finance.
For all the ups and downs of parenthood, all it takes is for my daughter Lyra to look at me and smile, and all is well with the world. It’s been a while since I’ve been a new parent – my other daughter, Lily, is 20 – but it’s really exciting. I think it will be easier this time round as so much has changed. All it takes Lily is for her to send me a text to let me know that she’s still alive. Given how much I worry, the best thing is when they can make me feel like everything is OK.
My proudest achievement is putting on The Passion in my home town of Port Talbot in 2011. There were 1,000 people involved. It was hugely meaningful to me.
Researching dark roles takes a toll on you. Playing Dr Martin Whitly in Prodigal Son, helping get into the mindset of criminals, is fascinating. But if you’re spending too much time in that world of darkness, you have to find a way to let it go. It’s not easy.
One of the first singles I bought was O Superman by Laurie Anderson. I made my older daughter listen to it. It’s had a profound impact on me. It contains the lyrics, “When love is gone, there is always justice/ And when justice is gone, there is always force/ And when force is gone, there is always mom.”
People don’t have to look to famous people to be role models. Rachel Williams is a domestic violence campaigner, whose husband tried to kill her. He killed himself and her son committed suicide the following week. She’s gone through such tragedy, but has managed to turn it around into positive change.
Nothing is ever really done and dusted. As I’ve got older, I’ve started to look back on choices I’ve made and realised the consequences are still playing out. I suppose when I’m on my deathbed, I could say, “Oh, that was a mistake,” but not while they’re still having a knock-on effect on my life.
Throw yourself into things and make your own mistakes. It’s the way to learn. You have to take risks to grow.
#BuySocial. Even if you can’t make a time commitment, you can make a real difference by buying from good causes. Could be socks that are helping the homeless – you can find something that matches what you care about.
I love everything about Christmas. My circumstances change depending on work, but I don’t ever like being away from home over the holidays. I’m very much a more-is-more person when it comes to Christmas, like my mum who goes totally OTT with the decorating.
Michael Sheen is a patron of Social Enterprise UK. Its Christmas gift guide is at socialenterprise.org.uk/Christmas