Beautiful Boy is the story of how tragedy effects a family and all those around them, in every way. A married couple on the verge of separation suddenly find themselves having to turn to each other to overcome unimaginable heartbreak. Under intense media scrutiny following their son’s shocking act of violence that changes the lives of so many, Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) see a chance for happiness again through their common grief.
At the film’s press day, actor Michael Sheen talked exclusively to Collider about baring himself emotionally for this role, playing the emotion of grief in such a naturalistic way, working with a director who established such an honest and collaborative set, and just being open and present in the moment. He also talked about why he loves playing Aro in The Twilight Saga, how he loves playing as many different characters, in as many different worlds as he possibly can, and why he wants to take on Hamlet next. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Throughout your career, your roles have been so varied and diverse. Is that something you’ve done intentionally?
MICHAEL SHEEN: What’s enjoyable for me, as an actor, is to do as many different things as possible. It challenges me, as an actor. You don’t want to get into doing the same thing, over and over again. I know I don’t. I’ve worked quite hard to give myself those options, I suppose. In terms of building a career and having longevity, that’s good. But, in terms of being more instantly recognizable and branding yourself in some way, that’s not so good. But, I enjoy it all, so that’s good.
On the one hand, they’ve lost someone that they love dearly, but that person did something incredibly destructive. There’s something that is impossible to deal with in isolation, that they have to deal with together, and yet it’s a relationship that has already come to an end, it seems, at the beginning of the film. And, through getting their hands dirty with the ultimate stuff of life, they somehow find their way back to each other again, at the end. I think that’s what the film is about. The aspect of the film that’s about who’s to blame and how their son ended up doing this, is a red herring in the film, in some ways. In Hitchcock, they called it a MacGuffin. It’s what allows the action to take place, but it’s not actually what the film is about.
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You had some really beautiful moments in the film with Meat Loaf. What was he like to work with?
SHEEN: He was fantastic. I was blown away by how vulnerable he was and how emotionally receptive he was. I had never met Meat Loaf before, but you think of this big, operatic, theatrical energy that he has. He came in and he was just so humble and sensitive. I’ve seen him in Fight Club and various things, and have always been impressed by what he’s done on film, but there was a real sensitivity to what he was doing. The scene that we did, where Bill opens up to him a bit about what happened, and that phone call the night before, it was a really nicely written scene anyway, but there was a real sensitivity that he had, that really helped me in that scene. It reminded me that it doesn’t matter who’s got the lines in a scene. No matter what happens in a scene, listening is an active thing. There was just a quality that he brought to what he was doing that really affected me. I really enjoyed working with him.
Your character in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is seen as the villain, but he’s really much more complicated, sinister and self-serving than that. How do you perceive that character?
SHEEN: Well, what I love about that character is that I think he’s totally insane. Immortality – living forever – has driven him completely insane, or certainly into an area of sanity that is not really accessible to most people, and yet, part of his insanity is that he thinks that he’s a sentimental, little old lady. He thinks he’s this cuddly grandmother, somehow. In a way, he keeps himself interested in life and people around him by playing this weird game with himself where he role plays and it amuses him to think of himself as being someone who just enjoys watching young people enjoying themselves. He’s like, “Oh, it’s so lovely. I cry at romantic films.” There’s that kind of persona that he has, when actually he just wants to kill people and eat them. It’s this weird game that he plays. So, I love that. There are a lot of places to explore with that. Underneath it is this insane animal, but on the surface is this very sophisticated, cultured, sentimental character. I just think he’s great. I love it!
Because there’s not a lot of information on Aro, did you get any tips from Stephenie Meyer about playing him?
SHEEN: I took what Stephenie had written, and there was enough there to get my imagination going. There were enough things there to explore. And then, I wanted someone to tell me, “Actually, no, that’s not an area that’s appropriate for this character,” but on the whole, until that happened, I just kept going. Stephenie was always very supportive. I really enjoyed just letting it go and develop, and go further. Thankfully, no one told me to stop.
How fun is it for you to play these fantastical character and be a part of these big franchises, like The Twilight Saga and the Underworld films, or even something like Tron: Legacy, and then switch into playing real-life people?
SHEEN: What it is on the surface is just set dressing. They’re all stories about how we relate to each other, and what it is that resonates about these people’s lives and their journeys, and what’s going on for them. They’re not that dissimilar, under the surface. They just seem very different, on the surface. Hopefully, any character I play has an anchor in reality. The more fantastical characters, or fantastical worlds that they inhabit are really fun and allow you, in some ways, to tell stories and reveal things about our lives that would be harder to take, in a more realistic setting. That’s the great power of science fiction and fantasy. It purports to tell you stories about other worlds and other lives, but actually it’s about our world and our life. It’s just a different way of looking at it. So, I love being able to play as many different characters, in as many different worlds as I possibly can. That’s what I really enjoy.
Why take on Hamlet next?
SHEEN: Well, it’s a play that I’ve been asked to do a few times, and the circumstances, for whatever reason, weren’t quite right. It’s one of the greatest plays ever written. It’s one of the biggest challenges for an actor. I started working with a director (Ian Rickson) who I really liked and who I thought would be a good director for that project, and found the right theater (Young Vic), so I thought, “Well, I should probably do it now, before I get too old.” So, we’re going to have a go at it.
Full Interview: Collider
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