Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen has graced theater, film and television with critically acclaimed performances as Tony Blair, David Frost and William Masters. Recently, he brought to life the angel Aziraphale in Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens. Now, Sheen jumps from playing a beatific force for good to a monstrous murderer—in Prodigal Son, he steps into the role of Dr. Martin Whitly, a doctor who was also a serial killer in the ’90s. Whitly’s son Malcolm, a talented but damaged criminal psychologist, uses his skills as a forensic profiler to help the NYPD solve homicide cases. When a gruesome murder mimics Whitly’s killings, Malcolm visits his imprisoned father, who is delighted to assist with the investigation and establish a relationship with his estranged son.

WS: What appealed to you about the project and this character?
SHEEN: First and foremost, [what draws me] always generally has to be the script. When I read the pilot episode, I was compelled by it. It was a subject and a genre that felt quite familiar but had a different take to it. The family dynamic felt interesting, and there was a lot of potential there. With a pilot episode, what you’re looking for is lots of interesting potential to explore later on. I thought those family relationships were fascinating and so full of the unknown and things to be discovered, secrets that were being repressed and avoided. Then there was my character, this monster in the dark at the center of the labyrinth, who is a mystery. We know that he had done monstrous things, but he appears to be a loving father and someone whom you would warm to and whose company you would like. I thought that was interesting. When playing any character who is a serial killer, psychopath, sociopath, however you want to describe him, the central question is: is it possible for that person to feel empathy? If he can’t feel empathy, then what is this relationship about with his son? I found that fascinating as a reader. I was drawn in, and that’s always a good sign because at that point I’m an audience member and hopefully a typical audience member. But as an actor, I felt there were a lot of interesting things both to explore and to play—to play immediately in the pilot and to explore as we go on with the series.

WS: What is the relationship like between Martin and Malcolm?
SHEEN: Well, if I were to tell you that, there’d be no point in watching the series! That is what the audience has to mull over, question and explore. That is what is at the heart of Malcolm, someone who clearly carries the weight of his father’s sins—and yet for a son, it’s one of the most primal relationships. He only has one father, and his father has done monstrous things. This father seems to want to have a close, meaningful, loving relationship with him. What games does that play with Malcolm’s head? How does it affect him emotionally and psychologically? He’s still trying to work out the baggage he has because there is so much he doesn’t know and doesn’t remember. Is his father really trying to have a loving relationship, or is he just trying to manipulate him? Is his father still using him or not? That is unclear and ambiguous, and the stakes are incredibly high for Malcolm because it is his father. How that plays out among the other family members is the territory of the series.

WS: How were you able to step into the mind of a serial killer?
SHEEN: For a few years, I researched and wrote a script for a film that I haven’t done yet, which was about a real-life serial killer. I spent a long time researching that. Even though the serial killer, in that case, is very different from Martin, a lot of the research has come in handy. In Britain, there was a man called Harold Shipman. He was a serial killer and a successful, loved and respected doctor who had been killing people for years and years. Then there was a case of a psychopathic multiple murderer who had killed children as well as adults. I heard that one of his children, a daughter whom he didn’t know about, had gotten in touch with him. She had had children and wanted them to have a relationship with their grandfather. I read about him and watched a documentary. He was saying his relationship with his daughter and his grandchildren was a huge, meaningful relationship in his life. This was a sign of how well he was doing, and he truly loved them. It does bring up this question: if he is a psychopath, then he can’t feel empathy, so what is going on? It’s all very dark stuff. It’s not pleasant to do the research, but it’s certainly fascinating.

WS: Did you have as much fun making Good Omensas we viewers had watching it?
SHEEN: Well, of course, the whole point is to make sure that the audience has fun. But it’s work! I would never describe the experience of doing a job well and properly as “fun”! But it was a wonderful job to work on. I loved working with David [Tennant]. It was a fantastic story and script. Good Omens was a book that meant a lot to me over my life, as it has for many, many people—there is a huge fan base for the book and for Terry and Neil. So to be able to work on the show was a real privilege and very special. And to be able to work with Neil every day as the showrunner was fantastic. We’ve been very good friends for a long time, and I’m a huge fan of his. And to have that excellent cast and fantastic director, Douglas Mackinnon, who was possibly more passionate about it than anyone else, was wonderful. I’m glad that it looked like fun, but it was long, long hours and difficult conditions. But I was hugely proud to be a part of it, and it was a very enjoyable experience.

WS: What are the different creative challenges and opportunities of episodic television compared to a film?
SHEEN: A film is a very different experience from [a multi-season series] like Masters of Sex or hopefully Prodigal Son. Good Omens was like making a six-hour film and it was hugely enjoyable for that. But what I have come to love about doing an ongoing multi-episodic story is how much involvement you can have in developing these characters and stories. You can explore characters and relationships in a completely different way from how you can in film. When you are working within a finite structure, whether it’s a 90-minute or 120-minute film, the story arc is already mapped out. There is plenty to explore within that if it’s good as Good Omenswas. What I loved about Masters of Sex was going from a pilot episode where you think, There is loads of possibility here, to then being able to play an interesting character who you suspect has a lot going on underneath the surface. I loved that. It was what originally scared me a bit. I didn’t know where this character was going. I didn’t know what the story was. That’s not what I was used to, but that became what I loved the most about it, especially if you are working with people who are open to being collaborative, as Michelle Ashford was onMasters of Sex and [executive producers] Sam Sklaver and Chris Fedak are on Prodigal Son. It becomes exciting to have the experience of playing the character inform what happens to that character. There is a limited amount of that in a film or a limited series. It’s absolutely necessary when you are doing a multi-episode series. That’s what really excites me about this way of telling stories.

WS: In our previous interview, you explained how William Masters, son of an abusive father, was unable to be a father to his children, for fear of perpetuating the abuse. That shed light on the situation of a very close friend of mine that I hadn’t been able to understand, and I wanted to thank you. Do you ever think about the impact your work can have on people who are facing difficult issues?
SHEEN: That’s amazing. Thank you so much for telling me that; I’m so glad I was able in any way to shed some light on a difficult situation.

Yes, that’s why I take the characters I play and the situations they go through so seriously, because I do know people out there have had similar experiences. This is part of what can be so meaningful about telling stories. We tell stories in order to connect with each other and to hopefully allow ourselves to feel like we are not going through things on our own. Other people have experienced the same thing, and we can get through these things together. I try to take it as seriously as possible and look for what is hopeful. I look at characters who are trying to free themselves from what is holding them back. That is what I loved about playing Bill Masters. He was a man who was really difficult to like—by himself more than anyone, I suppose. I wanted to look for a way to portray someone changing for the better in a realistic way: by taking the work seriously, thinking it through, working with Michelle and then having the opportunity [to tell the story] through the multi-episodic format. This is wonderful for me to hear, so thank you.