Michael Sheen: No, I'm Not Quitting Acting to Be a Political Activist

Michael Sheen denied he was quitting acting to become a political activist after an interview published in The Times U.K. indicated he was “leaving Hollywood to commit himself to political activism.”

The profile quoted the actor as saying his passion for activism “means that I would work less as an actor, and possibly stop.” But in a Tumblr post, Sheen said he was not immediately stopping.

“I DID NOT declare that I’m ‘quitting acting and leaving Hollywood’ to go into politics,” he wrote. “In the actual original interview I said I have become more involved with community issues back at home over the last few years and because of the political situation it’s something I would like to focus on more. The interviewer asked me what that meant for my career and I said it might mean I work less as an actor and maybe even stop for a while AT SOME POINT. But I don’t really know yet.”

Sheen also addressed portions of the interview that quoted him as calling the people who voted for Brexit “hard right populists” and “demagogic, fascistic” politics. In his Tumblr post, Sheen called Brexit a result of “the will of the people.”

“That is democracy,” he wrote. He continued, “What I think must be resisted is the re-emerging spectre of fascism in the West. Our democracy must be defended and each of us needs to decide how we can contribute to that effort.”

Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.