“I find increasingly that the more extreme are the things going on in your life, the more cultural reference points fail you. More mythical reference points actually help, and you realise that's what myths are for. It's for human beings to process their experience in extremis.”

Welsh actor and presenter

Michael Sheen is a Welsh actor and presenter. Trained at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he built his career largely on the stage through the 1990s, with roles in works including Romeo and Juliet, Don’t Fool with Love, Peer Gynt, The Seagull, The Homecoming, and Henry V. He later earned Olivier Award nominations for performances in Amadeus at the Old Vic, Look Back in Anger at the National Theatre, and Caligula at the Donmar Warehouse. His early career is closely tied to theatre, and the named productions show the range of classic and modern stage work that shaped his reputation.