Michael Sheen
Known for bringing iconic figures to life, Michael Sheen
gives a loveable, furry figure a sheen touch. The British actor lends his voice to play the White Rabbit in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. As Alice finds her way back to Wonderland with the help of her childhood friend, the white rabbit, it's his loyalty to Alice that helps her fulfill her destiny.
Read on as Michael Sheen candidly discusses his experience with Tim Burton and his upcoming film projects in Beautiful Boy and The Special Relationship with Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton.
Q: This is your first time working with Tim Burton. What was the experience like?
Michael Sheen: It was great. I sort of expected him to appear in a room completely dressed in black with thunder and lightning behind him, with some bats and wolves howling behind. [Laughs] But he was disappointingly normal and nice. I think that as a director it's great that someone is very approachable and easy to talk to, which he was, but as a figure I wanted him to be far more scary. Maybe he can be scary, not scary but sort of hardcore, but I think he gets that all out on the screen.
Q: What did you enjoy the most about your character?
Sheen: It's one of those iconic characters. I've known about the white rabbit since I was a little kid, probably before I even heard about Alice in Wonderland. It's a great character and the fact that it's Tim Burton. I am a huge fan of his work, so it was like a marriage made in gothic heaven. I didn't need much convincing when I got the call.
Q: Since most of your time was spent in a recording studio, did you have a hard time envisioning the end result?
Sheen: Tim had given me all the artwork so I knew what my character looked like, so that gave me a sense of what it was going to be like. I was being filmed when I was recording the voice, and Tim said, I want you to really perform it--not just think about voice, but to perform the character. So I did and they used that as a reference. When I saw the film I could see all the hand movements that I was doing so they really did pick up on all of that.
I joke about it but I really would have loved to put a suit on and done it. So that was kind of frustrating, not to be able to do that. All the actors in this film I'm just a huge fan of so I would have loved to just be with them all.
Q: Did the film meet your expectations?
Sheen: I thought it was extraordinary. I immediately wanted to go see it again so I'm really looking forward to seeing it again at the premiere. There is just so much going on; you've got a great story and the 3D element, so that whole world really comes to life. The fact that it's Tim Burton's version is something else…I find it aesthetically pleasing. I was just blown away. Oh, and I was very, very adorable [in the movie].
Q: Maria Bellow recently co-starred with Kristen Stewart in The Yellow Handkerchief, but you have an upcoming film with her in Beautiful Boy. The two of you play a married couple facing the loss of your son.
Sheen: As an acting experience, it was one of the best ones I've ever had. We had to do a lot of intense scenes together because of the subject matter. I met Maria [only] a couple of times before we started shooting so I didn't really know her and so I didn't know how it was going to go. It was just incredible to work with someone where there are absolutely no egos involved. It was all about supporting each other.
Q: Later this year you'll be entertaining audiences as Tony Blair once again. Tell us about The Special Relationship.
Sheen: That is the third and hopefully last time I play Tony Blair. The film is about Blair and his relationship with America, mainly focusing on his relationship with Clinton but it also goes into Bush at the end. Dennis Quaid plays Clinton and Hope Davis plays Hillary. It's before Blair becomes Prime Minister and before he becomes leader of the Labor Party.
Q: Dennis Quaid said he was afraid to play Bill Clinton. What did you think of his performance?
Sheen: I think its quite scary taking on such important characters. I remember when Frost/Nixon was going to be made into a film, the studios were looking around and a lot of actors that were approached to play Nixon didn't want to do it. They were too scared. It's not to be underestimated how challenging it is to take on a character like this. Dennis had done all the work before he [arrived]; everyone just keeps saying how good he is…I haven't seen the movie yet.
Q: Speaking of fears, you've said in the past how you're naturally an anxious-nervous person. How do you cope with those emotions as an actor?
Sheen: I don't think you get over it. I think you just learn to work with it. Acting itself is quite scary. Some people say that actors are show-offs, very egotistical and all that kind of stuff, but it is quite scary. I think the best acting is when you allow yourself to be kind of vulnerable in the moment. As an actor I've learned how to harness my nerves and put that into energy that will help me be more focused. I think the story of Alice in Wonderland in a way is a reminder that life is frightening, it can shift on you at any moment.
Q: Your daughter seems to be your number one fan. Has she seen Alice in Wonderland?
Sheen: My daughter hasn't seen the film yet. She is 11 and she is going to absolutely love it. This is a film that is almost made for her. She just recently went to see the Tim Burton exhibition in NY; she's a fan of The Nightmare before Christmas. She loves Alice in Wonderland, her mother has played Alice before and now I'm playing the white rabbit, she just can't wait to see it.
She loved me in Twilight. I can't do any wrong [by] her. She's going to think that the rest of my life is going to be like this - that I'm always going to be in all the things she loves, but eventually ill go back to doing the boring things. [Laughs].
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