Michael Sheen’s Best Roles Show Why He’s a National Treasure

Good Omens

When Sheen met Tennant in this on-screen adaptation of the Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novel, something truly magical happened. Good Omens is a comic delight with an all-star cast including Miranda Richardson, Jon Hamm, Daniel Mays and Anna Maxwell Martin, but the show’s real USP is the exceptional partnership between Michael Sheen and David Tennant as angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley respectively. Want news of season two? Read our report from the Good Omens NY Comic Con panel.

Frost/Nixon

A razor-sharp portrayal of the infamous interviews in 1977, Frost/Nixon sees Sheen taking on the role of legendary broadcaster David Frost, an undertaking that he yet again nails with breathtaking accuracy without resorting to mimicry. This is one of Sheen’s greatest performances, and yet he somewhat criminally missed out on any major Best Actor nominations thanks to his co-star Frank Langella’s extraordinary portrayal of President Nixon (Langella was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe).

Staged

If there’s one upside to the global pandemic, it’s Staged. David Tennant and Michael Sheen reunited as an epic double-act in this satirical lockdown comedy, playing self-mocking fictional versions of themselves as they rehearse a play over Zoom. It’s a rare opportunity to see them playing alongside their real-life wives, Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg, who expertly and comically manage their spouses’ fragile egos and childish bickering. There are also jaw-dropping cameos from the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Judi Dench and Samuel L Jackson. 

Twilight: New Moon

An appearance in the Twilight movies might seem a bit left-field for Michael Sheen, but the man’s got range. He plays Aro, the leader of an ancient Italian vampire coven. His role isn’t the most meaty of his career, but it shows that he can play just about any genre, somehow even including a vampire-themed fantasy romance mainly aimed at teenage girls. And, yet again, he gets to do a pretty rousing speech.

30 Rock

The delightfully ridiculous (and amusingly named) role of Wesley Snipes is one of Liz Lemon’s ill-fated love interests over the course of four episodes. Deeply irritating, contrary and full of disdain for Liz, you’d think Wesley would be completely unlikeable, and yet the hilarious back-and-forth between the couple is richly funny and Sheen plays his role to comic perfection. It’s worth watching for the perfect delivery of the line ‘I can’t suffer through the London Olympics – we’re not prepared, Liz’ alone.

The Queen

Michael Sheen has portrayed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on no fewer than three occasions in his career. The first was in movie The Deal, the most recent in TV movie The Special Relationship, but his best-known and arguably best portrayal of Blair is in The Queen. Close your eyes, and you’d have no trouble believing you were listening to the real deal – but please don’t actually close your eyes, or you’ll miss out on his spot-on and often very comical physical tics and expressions, too.