Michael Sheen has written off $1.29 million of debt for 900 people using $129,000 of his own money. The Welsh star, famed for roles in 'Good Omens,' 'Twilight' and 'A Very Royal Scandal,' has started a debt acquisition company to help the group in his native south Wales.
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00:00Michael Sheen has written off $1.29 million of debt for 900 people, using $129,000 of his own money.
00:10The actor, famed for roles in Good Omens, Twilight, and A Very Royal Scandal,
00:14has started a debt acquisition company to help those in his native South Wales.
00:19The business venture is documented in an upcoming Channel 4 documentary titled Michael
00:23Sheen's Secret Million Pound Giveaway, set to air in the UK next week. Sheen's show aims to
00:29reveal how banks and finance companies are profiting from the country's most vulnerable.
00:33He said,
00:34"...you need some help to get through these times,
00:37and people are getting into spirals of debt. Once you're underwater, it's very hard to get
00:41out again. That's why I wanted to do this, to draw attention to the fact that this is going on.
00:46And there is a way to change it. There are alternatives,
00:49and we need to push to try and make a difference for people."
00:51He told BBC's The One Show on Wednesday that he was initially cautious about spending the money,
00:56saying he does not have $129,000 or £100,000 to throw around,
01:02and therefore he wanted the project to be effective.
01:04Sheen's efforts, directed at the Port Talbot region in South Wales,
01:07come five months after the closure of a blast furnace in the area,
01:10marking the end of traditional steelmaking in the region and prompting the widespread loss of jobs.
01:16When Sheen met a woman in a Port Talbot cafe who told him about Steelworkers and Tears,
01:20he decided to see the debt acquisition company through.
01:23For more on this story and all the latest news,
01:25go to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.