Entertainment
Michael Sheen sold his houses for charity and turned himself into a ‘not-for-profit actor’
The star realised he wanted to help charities meaningfully (Picture: Getty)
Michael Sheen has said he has turned himself into a social enterprise, a ‘not-for-profit actor’.
Actor and activist Michael, who is a popular choice to take over from Jodie Whittaker as the next Doctor on Doctor Who, has said organising the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff was a turning point for him.
Speaking to The Big Issue for their Letter To My Younger Self, the 52-year-old said: ‘I had committed to helping to organise that and then suddenly, with not long to go, there was no money.
‘I had to make a decision – I could walk away from it, and it wouldn’t happen. I thought, I’m not going to let that happen. So, I put all my money into keeping it going.
‘I had a house in America and a house here and I put those up and just did whatever it took. It was scary and incredibly stressful.’
He added: ‘I’ll be paying for it for a long time. But when I came out the other side I realised I could do this kind of thing and, if I can keep earning money it’s not going to ruin me.
Michael and his partner Anna Lundberg took part in this year’s Gogglebox tand Up To Cancer special (Picture: Channel 4/Studio Lambert)
‘There was something quite liberating about going, alright, I’ll put large amounts of money into this or that, because I’ll be able to earn it back again.
‘I’ve essentially turned myself into a social enterprise, a not-for-profit actor.’
The star of Amazon’s Good Omens, which is set to return for a second season, revealed the first ‘turning point’ in his life was after a 72-hour production through the streets of Port Talbot in 2011.
‘I got to know people and organisations within my hometown that I didn’t know existed.
‘Little groups who were trying to help young carers, who had just enough funding to make a tiny difference to a kid’s life by putting on one night a week where they could get out and go bowling or watch a film and just be a kid.
Michael with his friend and Good Omens and Staged co-star David Tennant (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Rex/Shutterstock)
‘I would come back to visit three or four months later, and find out that funding had gone and that organisation didn’t exist anymore.’
He added: ‘I realised the difference between that child’s life being a little bit better or not was ultimately a small amount of funding.
More: Michael Sheen
‘And I wanted to help those people. I didn’t just want to be a patron or a supportive voice, I wanted to actually do more than that.
‘That’s when I thought, I need to go back and live in Wales again.’
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