Robert Sheehan: āMy anxiety had got to the point where if I was left alone I was a twitching messā
The Guardian (X)
āThe real world had a set of rules that I had learned through my peer group: donāt show emotional vulnerability, and show confidence, and all these things you learn when youāre young,ā he says. In the audition room and on stage, however, Sheehan could āhave contact with some dormant stuff in myselfā. It was a reward system that taught him his emotions were valuable ā but only as acting currency.
When the first series of The Umbrella Academy debuted in 2019, Netflix claimed that 45m households watched it globally. Sheehan remembers being approached by fans at a bar in Toronto, the summer after the show had launched. āPeople relate to you and the show differently, because of its distribution,ā he says. Sheehan squirms in his seat, recounting the deference of the encounters. āI was having people come up to me in a quasi-religious manner, like: āI just want to shake your hand.āā The increased level of recognition made him feel āa bit strange and awkwardā.
Ambition had once been bound up with āmaking my value higher in other peopleās mindsā. It led to taking jobs on studio films (such as the Peter Jackson-produced Mortal Engines, a commercial and critical flop). Now Sheehan has realised the work that brings him the most joy is in the theatre: āItās this perfect closed ring of performance, audience and immediate high stakes.ā The last two years have seen him taking to the stage with more frequency, with Frankie Boyle in Samuel Beckettās Endgame at the Gate theatre in Dublin in 2022, and this year leading a theatre adaptation of cult film comedy Withnail and I at the Birmingham Rep, as well as starring in the family drama Reunion, which debuted at the prestigious Galway international arts festival. He has come to terms with pursuing āa present ambition versus a future ambition,ā he says.
Released from a behemoth Netflix production whose contractual obligations spanned several years, Sheehanās present ambitions involve developing projects with his friends and ācreating our own stuffā on āa more manageable scaleā. He is keen to put down roots and renovate a house in Cork, where heās been living for the past 18 months. Sheehan says it took him a long time to admit that Ireland is āwhere Iām the most relaxed version of myselfā.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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when they asked the cast what fans can expect from season four and Robert said āfans, expect nothing and you will gain everythingā thatās when i knew.
i knew right then and there i wasnāt going to like this season.
in that moment, i had this very strong and very intense gut feeling that this season was going to be something elseā¦ and i was going to feel a very specific way about it. and i was not going to be happy with it.
like for real i felt like Rob was saying donāt get your hopes up because itās not going to live up to those expectations and youāre just not gonna like it.
honestly, it felt like he was trying to tell us we were not going to be happy about so many things in the season and to just set the bar reeeeeal real low now so we wonāt be so disappointed with how it was all going to be or end.
he tried to warn us. he really tried. š¢š¤
(side note- was i already unsure of it because it was the final season and i just didnāt want it to end? yes, of course. i love this show, adore klaus and the hargreeves so much and donāt want them to go away and i always want to watch more of them and their crazy stories š„ŗš¤ and i mean, was i also already unsure of how it was going to be or if i would like it because season three wasnāt quite what i was expecting and didnāt end up loving it as much as i loved the first two? again, yes. of course. so like the feeling was already there, but when i saw that, when i heard Robert say that, it really cemented it in for me that it was not going to be what i not only wanted for a finale season with these characters that iāve grown to love and adore so much, but also it was not going to be something i would really enjoy or would be satisfied with how they were ending this story. him saying that stuck out to me and it stayed with me for a very long time.)
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Like Robert Sheehan? Want to see more of his filmography that isn't as easily available? Want to interact with other fans and make new friends?
Then do I have just the thing for you!
āØSheehan Movie NightāØ
I know I've talked about this a while ago, but I decided it's time to host a weekly movie night, featuring our favourite Irish actor!
ā Streams start at 5:30pm EST every Saturday evening.
ā To join, all you have to do is come to my kosmi room at the appointed time. You don't even need an account!
Hope to see you all there š
-text schedule & content warnings below cut-
5/13 - The Borrowers
5/20 - Cherrybomb
5/27 - Three Summers
6/03 - Jet Trash
6/10 - Road Within
6/17 - Anita B
6/24 - Bad Samaritan
7/01 - Song of Sway Lake
7/08 - Moonwalkers
7/15 - Demons Never Die (cw: suicide)
7/22 - The Messenger (cw: paranoia/delusions, self harm? I have not watched this one yet, personally though, so Iām not sure of everything)
