LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 (UPI) — Welsh actor Michael Sheen is clarifying on social media what he said about acting and politics to The Times of London, insisting his widely circulated remarks have been misinterpreted.
The “Passengers” and “Masters of Sex” star posted a statement on his Tumblr page Saturday night.
“I did one interview with The Times of London a few weeks ago, parts of which (including a headline that is not a quote) have been picked up by a lot of other outlets. I DID NOT declare that I’m ‘quitting acting and leaving Hollywood’ to go into politics,” he wrote.
“In the actual original interview I said I have become more involved with community issues back at home over the last few years and because of the political situation it’s something I would like to focus on more. The interviewer asked me what that meant for my career and I said it might mean I work less as an actor and maybe even stop for a while AT SOME POINT. But I don’t really know yet,” he continued. “I certainly did NOT equate people who voted for Brexit or Trump with a fascistic ‘hard right’ that must be stopped. The majority of people in the U.K., including my hometown of Port Talbot, voted for Brexit. That is the will of the people and is to be respected. That is democracy. Given the concerns around the economy in the area I come from and its industrial history I totally empathize with the dissatisfaction with the status quo that the vote was partially an expression of. What I think must be resisted is the re-emerging specter of fascism in the West. Our democracy must be defended and each of us needs to decide how we can contribute to that effort.”
