Michael Sheen partners with National Library of Wales for new video

Amelia Jones

Michael Sheen has teamed up with the National Library of Wales to tell the story of Wales in a new video.

The Welsh actor features in the film shared by the National Library on social media this week, with the Instagram caption: “Michael Sheen 🤝 Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales.”

The collaboration comes as the National Library continues to highlight its collections and the wealth of Welsh history held at its Aberystwyth headquarters. The Library has been marking Owain Glyndŵr Day, which takes place on September 16 each year to commemorate the Welsh prince and the legacy of his rebellion against the English crown.

In the video, Sheen says:”I think the National Library is a sort of, sort of a heart pumping blood around the country, you know, it’s our way of still being able to connect in a tangible way to all the things that are of value to us, our culture, things that would be lost to us otherwise that maybe we’d hear about or read about, but here we can actually come and interact with them and engage with them and be inspired by them”.

“It’s like shaking hands with all the most important moments in our culture and so it’s absolutely fundamental, I think, to a sense of who we are, where we’ve come from and where we can go.”

 

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A post shared by National Library of Wales (@llyfrgellgen)

Sheen has a particularly busy period ahead, with the actor preparing to take to the stage as Glyndŵr himself in Owain & Henry, a major new production written by Welsh playwright Gary Owen.

The play, produced by the Welsh National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre, will see Sheen portray the last native-born Prince of Wales as the story of his rebellion against Henry IV is brought to the stage on an epic scale.

Owain & Henry will run at the Donald Gordon Theatre at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff from November 5 to 28.
Sheen has previously spoken about the importance of telling Glyndŵr’s story, revealing that he knew very little about the medieval Welsh leader when he was growing up in south Wales because Welsh history was not taught to him at school.

He has described Glyndŵr as a figure whose story remains relevant more than 600 years later, particularly when it comes to questions surrounding Welsh identity, leadership and the country’s future.

The National Library collaboration comes as Sheen continues to put Welsh history and culture at the centre of much of his work, while his upcoming portrayal of Glyndŵr is set to bring one of Wales’ most famous historical figures to a new generation of audiences.

You can view the full video here. You can buy tickets to Owain & Henry here.

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