Michael Sheen on His Daughter's Public Announcements
Actor Michael Sheen has revealed that his daughter has begun behaving "like she's my agent" by loudly proclaiming his presence in public, which he finds somewhat embarrassing.
Sheen explained that his middle daughter, Lyra, aged six, has started shouting "Michael Sheen is here!" whenever they are out together as a family.
The star of Good Omens described the experience as a "weird trajectory" witnessing his daughter come to the realization of his fame, even expressing a desire to be included in fan photographs with him.
Meeting the Real-Life Figures He Portrays
Having portrayed Sir Tony Blair on three occasions, Sheen also shared on Ant and Dec's Hanging Out podcast how he encountered the former prime minister face-to-face, despite generally attempting to avoid meeting the notable individuals he depicts.
In an episode commemorating St David's Day, Sheen discussed how Lyra has become accustomed to people approaching her father.
"It started with people coming up, saying hello and wanting to talk to [me]," Sheen said.
"And I could see her starting to notice this when she was very little.
"The first thing she started doing was, if somebody came up to me, she'd say, 'and my name is Lyra'.
"Then if it was a photo, 'can I be in the photograph?'"
He noted that these interactions have since evolved into "this thing like she's my agent".
"She'll suddenly shout out 'Michael Sheen is in the building!'"
Sheen also shared that his youngest daughter, Mabli, has nicknamed him "Sheenie the genie" following his role in Swansea Grand Theatre's Christmas pantomime, Aladdin.
Roles and Approach to Meeting Subjects
Beyond fictional roles, Sheen has portrayed several real-life figures including former prime minister Tony Blair, football legend Brian Clough, journalist David Frost, comic actor Kenneth Williams, and former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host Chris Tarrant.
However, Sheen expressed a preference for not meeting the living individuals he portrays.
"I've always avoided meeting the person if they are alive, to begin with at least," he said.
"Because I feel like if I've met someone and you have some sort of relationship with them, then you feel beholden in a way," he said, adding it creates a "different level of responsibility".
"If you know them as well, I think that just makes it harder because warts and all, you have to try and find a fully-rounded character."
Exception Made for Tony Blair
Sheen made a rare exception when playing Blair for a third time by accepting an invitation to a dinner at Rupert Murdoch's residence, where the former prime minister was also present.
"He'd already been on record talking about The Queen, so we knew he'd seen it," Sheen said.
He recounted that upon arrival, he was immediately brought before Blair, and the host joked, "Tony, it's you."
Although Sheen acted as if oblivious in front of other guests, Blair opened up to him once the gathering dispersed.
"He brought up actual moments within [the film] so it was clear he'd seen it."
Sheen humorously noted that during the dinner, he was kept "far away" from Blair, seated at the opposite end of the table.
