'Twilight's' Michael Sheen expects screaming theaters for finale

BY MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
Friday, November 16, 2012
11/16/12 at 4:07 AM

When "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" came to a close last November, it was Michael Sheen's character who had the last word in the movie.

"They have something I want," said Aro, the powder-faced, bug-eyed leader of the Volturi (think of them as the vampire world's disciplinary committee) that Sheen plays, issuing a nasty little cliffhanger that leads to Friday's release of "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," the fifth and final film in the "Twilight" series.

"It's time for the big, cataclysmic face-off between the Cullen family and the way they live their lives as vampires and the Volturi as the lawmakers," Sheen said in a recent telephone interview talking about the inevitable showdown.

"What I think is really exciting for the fans is that even if they've read the books, there are some big surprises, which I think will leave some people literally screaming in the theater," he said of the finale. "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" wraps up the teen-sensation stories on film of Bella, who in the last picture married her vampire crush, Edward, and gave birth to their child in a dramatic climax.

Sheen sank his teeth into selling the film's surprises and praising the way in which director Bill Condon has adapted to some twists not seen in the novels.

"There should be screaming, and there should be crying, and some people may not believe their eyes at what they see happening," Sheen said with a grin obvious from over the phone. "And this time it won't be for someone taking their top off."

The honeymoon that he references from the last film is over, and with "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," so is the series of movies based on Stephenie Meyer's novels that have energized young female fan bases every year since 2008.

Sheen will miss the friends he's made making the films; his teen daughter will simply miss the stories.

"Stephenie very cleverly found a way to deal with the problems of young girls growing into young women and the idea of people who are feeling certain things, like young men struggling with certain appetites," he said. "There is an element of danger and romance to the stories, which are a metaphor for the maturing process and controlling those urges.

"My 13-year-old has gotten a lot out of these films, and Bella's journey has been a sort of a helpful and reassuring guide in that process. Millions of young women feel the same way, I think."

Female fans go gaga for "Twilight's" young stars Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart. Sheen draws little attention by comparison.

"Nobody chases me because no one has ever recognized me from the 'Twilight' films" and the heavy makeup, he said.

"If I'm clean-shaven, people tend to recognize me as Tony Blair from 'The Queen,' or as David Frost from 'Frost/Nixon.' If I have a beard, they tend to recognize me for 'Underworld' or 'Midnight in Paris.' So I have my bearded career and my unbearded career."

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" marks the end of Sheen's career with blood-red eyes and what appears to be a wicked vampire mullet.

Sheen's role in Bartlesville movie later cut

Michael Sheen was part of a major motion picture filmed in Bartlesville in the fall of 2010. There just isn't any record of it.

Sheen was among four stars who fell victim to the proverbial cutting-room floor in connection with the movie "To the Wonder," starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem.

Sheen's scenes in "To the Wonder" were cut - a first in his career, he said - as were those featuring Rachel Weisz, Barry Pepper and Amanda Peet.

Director Terrence Malick's romantic drama premiered at a pair of film festivals this fall, which was where audiences first learned that the performers were not part of the film.

As for Sheen, he said he doesn't so much feel like he lost a film role as he was simply honored to work with Malick for a couple of days.

"I was just coming (to Bartlesville) to visit my girlfriend, Rachel," Sheen said of McAdams, with whom he co-starred in "Midnight in Paris."

"I was just hanging around the set. Then Terry (Malick) asked if I'd do a part, maybe one to two scenes playing the boss of Ben Affleck in the film. So I was thrilled to have the experience of working with Terry, and it's not like it was a part I'd been offered ages before.

"And I knew the chance of my making it into the film was very slim, just because of the way that Terry makes his film.

"You just have no idea what form it's going to take."

Sheen's comment refers to Malick creating his films in the editing room from his collected footage, which has resulted in actors appearing in - and then being excised from - films such as the director's "The Thin Red Line" in the past.

"But I did have a fantastic time in the area, especially in going to the plains and seeing the buffalo," Sheen said in reference to the Woolaroc bison herd. "That was just stunning."

Original Print Headline: Sheen expects screaming theaters

Michael Smith 918-581-8479
michael.smith@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

Michael Sheen (center, with Christopher Heyerdahl, left, and Jamie Campbell Bower) plays the head of the Volturi in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2." ANDREW COOPER/Summit Entertainment