Michael Sheen Says He Is Quitting Acting to Fight the Far-Right
Michael Sheen says he is quitting Hollywood and making the move back to England, all in the name of politics.
In an interview with the U.K.’s Times that was published on Saturday, Sheen said he was leaving Hollywood and acting behind to fight against far-right populism “for the time being.”
“In the same way as the Nazis had to be stopped in Germany in the Thirties, this thing that is on the rise has to be stopped,” he told the Times.
“It will be a big change for how people relate to me,” he said. “Once I’m in, I’m fully in, and this is big. As soon as you start to be effective, then people try to crush you, because it’s dangerous.”
Sheen went on to explain that his participation in the National Theatre of Wales’s The Passion first inspired him to get involved in community organizations, and he said his increased political activism has been a “natural progression” to “having a more direct influence.”
He also credited the Brexit decision (he said he was “sad and frustrated”) U.S. presidential election in favor of now-President-elect Donald Trump for motivating him to feel a “massive urgency” about the current political climate.
“It’s not going to look like this in ten years’ time,” he said of the current political climate. “Everything has shifted. The dice are being rolled again.”
And while he admitted to feeling “terrified” in the current state of politics, he added there is “a freedom in it.”
He also admitted that he was unsure if his relationship with girlfriend Sarah Silverman would survive his move back to England. The couple has been linked since February 2014 and both starred in Showtime’s now-cancelled Masters of Sex.
“He really classes me up and I just pull him right down to my level unfortunately for him,” the comedian told James Lipton while appearing on Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio last year. “I could go on and on.”
RELATED VIDEO: Kate Beckinsale & Michael Sheen Celebrate Daughter Lily’s College Acceptance!
Sheen most recently made headlines for non-political reasons, as he appeared in an adorable Instagram after his daughter Lily was accepted to college on Thursday.
In a post shared by Lily’s mom, Kate Beckinsale, the actress and Sheen’s friendly ex wrote, “The appropriate fatherly response when you found out your girl got into college: burst into tears drop everything rush over and pick up everyone even remotely involved.”
Earlier this year, Beckinsale opened up about her love for Silverman. “I love her. I love her. I love her,” the Underworld star said of Sheen’s girlfriend in May. “I am so glad Michael found her so I don’t have to spend the rest of my life looking for her!”