I've known Michael Sheen for a decade, and as I wrote Good Omens I kept thinking how much Michael's essential niceness and goodness would shine if he was playing Aziraphale. So we had dinner and I asked him, and he said yes.- Neil Gaiman
The city of Port Talbot in South Wales is known for a few things: a steel mill, a proudly working class population and a passionate commitment to the arts that produced Hollywood superstars Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins. In this sweet, personal talk, actor Michael Sheen shares how he was also able to take advantage of all the city had to offer, why he's worried that a change in approach to arts education means that kids now don't get the same kind of chances -- and the steps he's taking to ensure that creative up-and-comers get the support and access they deserve. (With animations by Sam Orams and Sarah Klan.)
The first trailer for new BBC One drama Best Interests has been released.
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Bad Sister’s Sharon Horgan and Good Omen’s Michael Sheen star as a married couple going through an emotional legal battle.
The trailer shows Nicci (Horgan) and Andrew (Sheen) finding out that the condition of their daughter Marnie, who suffers with a rare neuro-muscular disorder, is rapidly declining.
When doctors tell the couple it is in Marnie’s best interests to cease all treatments, Nicci and Andrew enter a legal battle to go against the doctor’s wishes and fight for their daughter’s life.
Joining Horgan and Sheen are Niamh Moriarty (Jack Thorne’s A Christmas Carol) and Alison Oliver (Conversation with Friends) as their daughters Marnie and Katie.
The ensemble cast includes Noma Dumezweni (The Undoing), Chizzy Akudolu (Sorry, I Didn’t Know), Des McAleer (Hope Street), Mat Fraser (His Dark Materials), Gary Beadle (Grantchester), Jack Morris (Strike), Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard), Shane Zaza (Happy Valley), Lucian Msamati (Gangs of London), and Lisa McGrillis (Mum).
Two-time RTS Award winner Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable?) announced via his Instagram that he will also appear in a small role in the series.
Jack Thorne says: "As a parent of a three-year-old I've looked at the cases in the media about 'best interests' with some fascination and a little dread, when the worst happens, how do you keep your head when everything around you feels wrong? We are going to try and tell a nuanced story that talks about this issue from all sides.”
Best Interests premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on Monday 12 June.
Nightshoots for "The Way", the three-part drama directed and co-created by Michael Sheen
The Way will tap into “the social and political chaos of today’s world by imagining a civil uprising which begins in a small industrial town”, according to the BBC.
The drama is set to follow the Driscolls, a seemingly ordinary family who find themselves part of a story of life, death and survival.
After finding themselves caught up in the fallout of civil unrest, the family is forced to flee their home country.
The Way will follow the Driscolls as they attempt to escape their old life, despite the risk of finding themselves burdened with memories of their past.
Speaking about the project, director Mr Sheen said: “I’m such an admirer of Adam and James’ work, so to create this project with them in these extraordinary times has been thrilling.
“I’m so excited to be telling this global story through the prism of my home town and its community as we dig into the rollercoaster ride of our recent past and the mysterious depths that lay beneath.”
Pics of Michael Sheen as Andrew on "Best Interest" 2023
Jack Thorne talks about "Best Interests", an upcoming four-part British television drama series that stars Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen as a married couple, fighting for their disabled daughter's medical care. (Clips from the show included)