マイケル・シーン、最後にもう一度デイヴィッド・テナントとタッグを組む | Lorraine

Now after a very successful run in Wales, Michael Sheen is bringing his revival of Our Town to London. And joins me now. And this is such a brilliant story, isn't it?

Oh, it's a beautiful, beautiful play. You know, it's been around since 1938. And it's one of the most performed plays in America, but people don't know it as well here. But also it had a massive influence on Dylan Thomas writing Under Milk Wood, which of course is...

I didn't know that.

Yeah, yeah. The life of a town and, you know, and there's a narrator, and because I play the stage manager in this production who comes on and says, this is a play, and we're putting on a story about this town, um, and then we see the inhabitants of the town. And the big moments that make up a life, anyone's life, the universal moments, made up of all the small moments, you know, getting your kids ready for school. It's funny, it's had such an effect on me doing this play. Just this morning, getting the kids ready for school, it just makes, it reminds me, no, this is it, this is life. This is what's happening. These are the things you'll miss. It's gone like that.

It is, it's so much. You've revitalized the National Theatre of Wales. I mean, you really have. It's a brilliant thing that you've done, because the opportunities now for young talent to come through, both in front of the stage and behind the stage. Was that the whole idea behind it? Because you can't let something like that go.

Well, yes, it was a sort of emergency situation really. It had all its funding cut, so we had to kind of reimagine a possible future for it. At a time when all the arts funding was being cut, and, and so, you know, in my inimitable way, I went, no, no, no, we're gonna go bigger. We're gonna go bigger and bolder. Um, and, you know, it's that thing of build it and, and they will come.

Yes.

So we put on these shows, and people are coming, and it's doing very well, so.

But you don't just talk the talk, because you put your money in. I mean, you helped hundreds of people get out of debt by paying off their debts with your own money. You don't need to do that, Michael. It's brilliant that you do that. No, it really is.

Well, I feel like, you know, I feel very fortunate that, you know, through my career and the things that I've done, I've had a lot of opportunity, and I've made some money, and I've got, you know, the opportunity to make things happen and all that kind of stuff. And I won't have it for long. You know, that window will close probably quite soon, um, and I want to make the most of it whilst I can, you know.

But you've changed people's lives for the better. I mean, they'll never forget that. And the ripples from that...

Well, I think, I'm sure this is true of you as well, and I'm sure true of many people out there, that as you get a bit older, you realize how much other people have changed your life, you know, how much you owe to other people. And especially early on, when I was younger, I used to take it all for granted. And now, of course, I look back and go, oh, those teachers were giving up their time. Those people were volunteering. My dad and my mum didn't have to do that. And it sort of makes me more and more aware of how important it is that we do help each other.

No, absolutely. You should never pull the ladder up. You should always be putting your hand down. But you do it, you know, so much more than anybody else. I just think it's, I just think it's great. Now look, the other day, last week, there I was getting my hair done in Soho in the salon, and who was sitting beside me? Oh, it was your lass! It was your lovely wife Anna. Yeah, we were talking about you. I bet your ears were burning. She said, I'm sitting next to Lorraine, should I say something? I don't want to seem like I'm a mad person in the salon. She's absolutely beautiful. You're a lucky man.

I am, I am. And we have two beautiful children, Lyra and Mabli.

You do, you do. Are they showing... I mean, they're young, but do you reckon they'll be... Oh look! So this is just normal round the house, just dressed up like that. I thought probably that was you in Frozen. Um, do you think inevitably they're going to follow what you do? Do you think so? Or have the opportunity if they want to?

I know. Well Lyra, I mean they both love dressing up and performing. Lyra loves getting on a stage. I try to, wherever I'm performing, I try to get them both on the stage. So Lyra has performed, to me, on the Sydney Opera House stage, I was there doing Amadeus years ago. She came up to Theatr Clwyd in Mold, um, where we were doing Our Town recently, and now Mabli as well is like, she'll sit there watching Lyra do it, and then she wants to get up as well. So, I mean, who knows.

Oh, get a dynasty going, absolutely. Um, there is a massive bromance in your life with David Tennant. And you got him. And you both got us through COVID with those bonkers things that you did. It was absolutely brilliant. With those Zooms, and it was so, so funny. And clearly you adore each other. Working together though... not for the last time totally, but the last time on Good Omens. Is Good Omens, is that it after this one?

Well, for that story, yeah. Um, but you know, we, yeah, but we, you know, we do have a wonderful time doing stuff together, and I'm sure it won't be long before we do something else.

You've got to do something with him, because you know, what you saw when the two of you are together, there's that trust between each other, like you can go anywhere with him, you can do anything.

Yeah. The strange thing is of course that for years and years and years we didn't work together, because we'd be up for the same parts. I mean, we look quite different now. Obviously, he's still very svelte and gorgeous, whereas I am as nature intended me. But we would be up for the same sort of roles, so we never really, you know, our paths didn't cross. Right. So now, it's so wonderful because we get to actually do stuff together.

It's just great.

And, you know, he makes me laugh so much, and he's just such a brilliant actor, it's just lovely to be looking at him, gazing into those eyes, those Scottish eyes.

It's a joy. It's an absolute joy. As well as all of this, what I really love about you is you, you know, when you're passionate about something, you really want to go for it. And they read this documentary that you're doing, about a massive scandal in Wales. And because you're going to do it, it will get a lot more attention, which is a good thing, but that's terrible.

It was an extraordinary thing. When I was still living in America, years ago, just one day I went down one of those rabbit holes online, and found the story of this man called Douglas Gowan. And it just sort of, it took over my life for a while, about this man who had just spent his life basically trying to fight for people to acknowledge that there was this toxic dumping that was happening all around the world, but you know, obviously for me it was about Wales. And I got involved in it then, this is going on for over 10 years now. And, um, and I went to interview him, and I recorded him for two days, and within six months he was dead. Um, and that story has kind of stayed with me, and for years and years and years I didn't know what to do about it. And then we did this podcast series, and now we've done this documentary, and there's all kinds of things. So I hope it gets the attention that it deserves, and um, and because it's an actual real present danger I think.

Yeah, no it really is. I mean it's a complete scandal. It's like, you know, Erin Brockovich, you remember that movie. You know, it's those kind of stories, and they're the stories that really need to be told.

Well this documentary took me around Wales, into England, but also across to Alabama. There's a community in a place called Anniston, where the same thing happened, with the same company, and they took the company to court. Um, and the devastation there was immense. Um, but they actually got their day in court. And so I went there to find out their story and how it might affect things here.

I can't wait to see that. It's going to be brilliant. And of course, we can see you in Our Town. It's at the Rose Theatre, isn't it?

It's the beautiful Rose Theatre, it's a co-production with the Rose Theatre. It's a beautiful theatre, and we'll be there until the end of March.

Excellent. Tickets I think are only available now for maybe Monday and Tuesday.

Be fast guys, so they're going quick!

Get there quick, get there quick. Thank you so much.