Michael Sheen reveals how he fell in love with acting

TV and movie star Michael Sheen fell in love with acting when he was 14.

The now 52-year-old star actually dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player as a child and he even played on the Arsenal youth team – but his focus switched to acting during his early teens and got a role as a professional Jack Nicholson look-a-like in his early 20’s.

He recalled: “It was one of the happiest times of my life.

“It was a magic balance to have, to be learning about something new and at the same time realising you have an aptitude for it and a passion for it. It coincided with me being part of the [National] Youth Theatre.

“I would live in this old building with about 40 other young people who loved doing it at the same time. And a lot of them were older than me, so I remember a 21-year-old Russell T Davies was just finishing his time as a student as I was sort of starting it. The possibilities for a life were just opening up for me.”

Michael – who has Lily, 22, with his ex-partner Kate Beckinsale, and Lyra, two, with Anna Lundberg – also relished not having any “responsibilities”.

He recalled: “I had nothing, I didn’t have to pay bills, I didn’t have to do anything that I didn’t really want to.”
Michael previously admitted he spent most of his childhood ignoring the advice of his parents.

The actor confessed that during his young years he was keen to create his own path in life.

He explained: “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.”

The actor initially dreamed of becoming a professional sportsman.

But ultimately, he’s glad his life has taken a different path.

He said: “The chance of playing professional football in the Premier League is so slim. Ultimately, I was grateful to [my parents].”

Michael saids it was ‘brilliant’ working with girlfriend Anna Lundberg, 27, in his new film Last Train To Christmas.
He added of the film: ‘I did like going back to the 80s, that was great fun. Natalie Emmanuel was born to be in the 80s.

‘She has the whole Whitney Houston thing going on. The 70s is just like a weird brown and orange haze.’

Anna and Michael have been in a relationship since 2019 and welcomed their daughter Lyra in September that year.

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