Michael Sheen Says He's No Longer A 'Not-For-Profit' Actor, Vows To Donate Future Earnings

Michael Sheen declared himself a 'not-for-profit actor' in a recently published interview in the British magazine The Big Issue. Speaking to the publication, the Welsh actor and activist revealed that he plans to stop seeking profits from his acting career and will instead use his future earnings to fund social projects. Explaining that his shift in thinking was prompted by a few life-changing moments, Sheen said: "I've realized in the last few years that I want to be one of those people who help other people the way so many people helped me. I don't want to just be someone who enjoys the fruits of what other people have done and then pull the drawbridge up."

"I'm at the stage of my life and career where I have a window of opportunity that will probably never be this good again. I'm able to get people in a room, I can open doors. I don't want to look back and think, I could have done something with that platform. I could have done something with that money," the 52-year-old added. The "Good Omens" star credited his starring role in the 2011 72-hour National Theatre production of "The Passion" through his hometown of Port Talbot in South Wales as a "turning point" in his life.

"That project involved the entire town and it was a big awakening for me. I got to know people and organizations within my hometown that I didn't know existed. Little groups who were trying to help young carers, who had just enough funding to make a tiny difference to a kid's life by putting on one night a week where they could get out and go bowling or watch a film and just be a kid," Sheen said. "I would come back to visit three or four months later, and find out that funding had gone and that organization didn't exist anymore. I wanted to help those people. I didn't just want to be a patron or a supportive voice, I wanted to actually do more than that."

Sheen added that organizing the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff was another big influence responsible for his selfless decision. "I had committed to helping to organize that and then suddenly, with not long to go, there was no money. I had to make a decision – I could walk away from it, and it wouldn't happen," he revealed. "And all those people from all around the world who were banking on coming to have this extraordinary experience, maybe a life-changing experience, wouldn't have it. I thought, I'm not going to let that happen."

"So I put all my money into keeping it going. I had a house in America and a house here and I put those up and just did whatever it took. It was scary and incredibly stressful. And I'll be paying for it for a long time. But when I came out the other side I realized I could do this kind of thing and, if I can keep earning money it's not going to ruin me," Sheen added. "There was something quite liberating about going, alright, I'll put large amounts of money into this or that, because I'll be able to earn it back again. I've essentially turned myself into a social enterprise, a not-for-profit actor."