Michael Sheen says he's a 'not-for-profit' actor

Actor Michael Sheen poses following the Canadian premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in Toronto Tuesday, July 12, 2011. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

Welsh actor Michael Sheen, known for his roles in Good Omens, Underworld and Twilight, has declared that he is a “not-for-profit” actor and intends to stop seeking profits from his future acting roles -- instead donating money he makes to various social projects.

In a recent interview with the Big Issue, Sheen recalled a turning point in his career during a 2011 performance of “The Passion,” a 72-hour production through the streets of Port Talbot in Wales, where he hails from.

Sheen said he got to know people and organizations in his hometown he didn’t know existed, and found it devastating when he went back to visit months later to find out funding had run out for the charities and organizations that were servicing the community.

Wanting to help, the Homeless World Cup in Cardiff in 2019 provided Sheen with an avenue to use his considerable accumulated wealth after years in the industry. With news that the event would be cancelled due to funding issues, Sheen, who was involved in organizing the Cup, sold both his houses to make it a reality.

“It was scary and incredibly stressful, and I’ll be paying for it for a long time,” Sheen revealed in the interview. “But when I came out of 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 said the decision felt “liberating.”

“I’ve essentially turned myself into a social enterprise, a not-for-profit actor,” he said.