Michael Sheen reveals he handed back OBE after a ‘crash course’ in Welsh history: ‘I just realised I’d be a hypocrite’

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Sheen shared the news that he had given the award back during an interview with journalist Owen Jones, stating that he had done so as he did not want to be a “hypocrite”. The 51-year-old told Jones that the decision had been prompted by his extensive research into Welsh history, a “crash course” that he had taken on after being asked to speak at the Learning and Work Institutes annual Raymond William Memorial Lecture in November 2017. '” Sheen added that he had realised he would have been a “hypocrite” if he were to keep the award and still give the lecture about “the nature of the relationship between Wales and the British state, and the history of it”. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free However, Sheen noted that he had always planned to be “transparent” if anyone ever asked him about it, which no one had until Jones.