'Edward' and 'Bella'--Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart--are the main characters, along with Taylor Lautner, but other characters are a big part of the saga too. summit entertainment View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

'New Moon' cast shoots the breeze

Date published: 11/23/2009

By RICK BENTLEY

McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

LOS ANGELES

Michael Sheen, who plays head vamp Aro, says his vampire sounds a little bit like characters from the Beatles animated movie "Yellow Submarine."

"You remember the Blue Meanies?" Sheen asks.

Sheen wanted a voice that would reflect how Aro was almost 2,000 years old, and be true to Stephenie Meyer's books.

"It was from Stephenie, in the book she describes Aro having a voice like feathers. That made me sort of try to think about what would it sound like if a person had a voice like feathers," Sheen says.

That's when he realized he sounded like the animated character. He was OK with the voice decision when he remembered how much the Blue Meanies disturbed him when he was a child in Wales.

Sheen doesn't have much experience playing ancient vampires. His jobs have been less mythical, from Tony Blair in "The Queen" to David Frost in "Frost/Nixon."

He did play a werewolf in "Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans." For Sheen, the main difference between vampires and werewolves is that the wardrobe for vampires is far more stylish. While he was playing the less fashionable werewolf in "Underworld," Sheen got to observe the vampires of the film. That made him excited for the role of Aro.

Next year, Sheen gets to take another acting trip into the world of fantasy in "Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland," in which he will play the White Rabbit.

Follow us on

Date published: 11/23/2009