Michael Sheen as David Frost
Tony Blair, David Frost, HG Wells, Kenneth Williams, Brian Clough, Mozart, Caligula - the roll call of parts that Michael Sheen has played resembles a version of the parlour game known as Fantasy Dinner Parties. With that mob seated around the same table, passing the condiments and swapping chit-chat, there would be no need to resort to Pictionary or Taboo to give the evening a lift.
Until now, Sheen has been defined by his brace of performances as Blair. The Deal recreated the charm offensive of the PM-in-waiting, and the leadership pact made by Blair and Gordon Brown, while The Queen unpicked the part played by Blair in the redemption of the Windsors after the fall-out from Princess Diana's death.
That considerable achievement will shortly be overshadowed by his latest role, as David Frost in Frost/Nixon, which kicks off the London Film Festival on 15 October and opens nationwide in January. Like Peter Morgan's 2006 play, Ron Howard's film takes as its focus the volatile, shifting dynamic between Frost and his most-prized quarry - disgraced former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), from whom he coaxed a candid confession of wrongdoing over many hours of interviews in 1977.
Sheen played the role in the West End and on Broadway and was first choice for the film, regardless of any lack of star power. His performance presents a version of Frost that bears little resemblance to the soft-pedaling schmoozer of Sunday morning talk shows and Through the Keyhole; his Frost displays a fearlessness and taste for risk blurring here and there into egotism.
The quality of his take on Frost matches his magisterial portrayals of Blair It wasn't just that he reminded audiences of the puppyish enthusiasm and idealism that had first made Blair a viable prospect for Prime Minister: from the moment he flashed his floodlit smile in The Deal and chirruped: 'Hi - Tony Blair!', his combination of mockery, affection and acute detail elevated the portrayal beyond mere impersonation.
There was something appealingly audacious, too, in the act of Sheen and his collaborators, writer Peter Morgan and director Stephen Frears, committing their interpretation of recent history to the screen while the factual version was still alive in our memories.
As for Frost/Nixon, not only is it is likely to land him an Oscar nomination, but it could spell an end to his relatively anonymous breed of success, making it increasingly hard for him to avoid the question that most serious actors dread: who are you, really?..
Read entire article at Observer (UK)
Until now, Sheen has been defined by his brace of performances as Blair. The Deal recreated the charm offensive of the PM-in-waiting, and the leadership pact made by Blair and Gordon Brown, while The Queen unpicked the part played by Blair in the redemption of the Windsors after the fall-out from Princess Diana's death.
That considerable achievement will shortly be overshadowed by his latest role, as David Frost in Frost/Nixon, which kicks off the London Film Festival on 15 October and opens nationwide in January. Like Peter Morgan's 2006 play, Ron Howard's film takes as its focus the volatile, shifting dynamic between Frost and his most-prized quarry - disgraced former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), from whom he coaxed a candid confession of wrongdoing over many hours of interviews in 1977.
Sheen played the role in the West End and on Broadway and was first choice for the film, regardless of any lack of star power. His performance presents a version of Frost that bears little resemblance to the soft-pedaling schmoozer of Sunday morning talk shows and Through the Keyhole; his Frost displays a fearlessness and taste for risk blurring here and there into egotism.
The quality of his take on Frost matches his magisterial portrayals of Blair It wasn't just that he reminded audiences of the puppyish enthusiasm and idealism that had first made Blair a viable prospect for Prime Minister: from the moment he flashed his floodlit smile in The Deal and chirruped: 'Hi - Tony Blair!', his combination of mockery, affection and acute detail elevated the portrayal beyond mere impersonation.
There was something appealingly audacious, too, in the act of Sheen and his collaborators, writer Peter Morgan and director Stephen Frears, committing their interpretation of recent history to the screen while the factual version was still alive in our memories.
As for Frost/Nixon, not only is it is likely to land him an Oscar nomination, but it could spell an end to his relatively anonymous breed of success, making it increasingly hard for him to avoid the question that most serious actors dread: who are you, really?..