Michael Sheen says Prince of Wales title should be held by Welsh person, and non-Welsh actors shouldn't play Welsh roles
6 June 2023, 14:37 | Updated: 6 June 2023, 15:06
Michael Sheen has said non-Welsh actors should not to be given Welsh parts to play, as he also branded the Prince of Wales title "silly".
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Sheen, well known for playing English television interviewer David Frost in Frost/Nixon and Scotland-born Tony Blair in several films including The Queen, said it was "hard to accept" seeing non-Welsh actors playing Welsh roles.
"You know, seeing people playing Welsh characters who are not Welsh, I find, it’s very hard for me to accept that,” he told The Telegraph.
“Not particularly on a point of principle, but just knowing that that’s not the case.
“That’s a very different end of the spectrum, but a part like Richard III [the disabled Shakespeare character] is such a great character to play, it would be sad to think that that character, you know, is no longer available or appropriate for actors to play who don’t have disabilities, but that’s because I’m just not used to it yet, I suppose.
"Because I fully accept that I’m not going to be playing Othello any time soon."
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Sheen, 54, added: "Again, it’s not particularly a point of principle, but personally, I haven’t seen many actors who have come from quite privileged backgrounds being particularly compelling as people from working-class backgrounds.
"If you haven’t experienced something, you know, the extreme example is, well, if you haven’t murdered someone, can you play a murderer?"
Port Talbot-born Sheen added that the title of 'Prince of Wales' - currently held by Prince William since King Charles came to the throne - should not be held by a non-Welshman.
He said: "It’s just silly. I see no reason why the title should continue. Certainly not with someone who’s not Welsh."
But he accepted that his position was "not the majority view.
"So, whatever the majority of people want, I’m sure will continue."
This is not the first time Sheen has criticised the Prince of Wales, slamming Prince William for handing out shirts to the World Cup team before they flew to Qatar as "entirely inappropriate".
Sheen questioned if the Prince of Wales had a ‘shred of embarrassment’.
He said: “He can, of course, support whoever he likes and as Pres of FA his role makes visit understandable – but surely he sees holding the title Prince of Wales at the same time is entirely inappropriate?
"Not a shred of embarrassment? Or sensitivity to the problem here?"
Sheen, who calls himself a 'not-for-profit actor' because he uses money from his acting work to fund other projects, returned his OBE in 2017 after researching the relationship between the British state and Wales.
