Michael Sheen of David Frost in 2008's "Frost/Nixon", a film dramatisation of The Nixon Interviews of 1977. Despite appearing in the original stage production in a part written for him by Peter Morgan, Sheen was surprised to have been cast in the film: "Peter said he'd only be prepared to give the rights to someone who would cast me as Frost, which was very nice, but when the studios get their hands on something... Right up until we started filming I was prepared to be disappointed". Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" asserted that Sheen embodied his character in a "compelling, intense"
Michael Sheen performances for Olivier Awards in 1998 and 1999, respectively. In the 2000s, while continuing to make sporadic stage appearances, Sheen became known primarily as a screen actor. In 2003, he was nominated for a third Olivier Award for his performance in "Caligula" at the Donmar Warehouse and had a breakthrough performance as the British politician Tony Blair in the television film "The Deal". He received a BAFTA Award nomination in 2004 for his work in the ITV drama "Dirty Filthy Love". In 2006, Sheen starred as the troubled comic actor Kenneth Williams in BBC Four's "" and came to the attention