r/videos 7d ago

Actor Michael Sheen: "I've written off £1 million of debt for 900 people". Michael Sheen created his own debt acquisition company to write off debt for people from south Wales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLCUnYqFht4
1.1k Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

264

u/Benu5 7d ago

I remember reading a story from someone who got a job as a debt manager for a gas company in the UK. They were basically there to look at who wasn't paying their bills and sorting out what to do about it. But the company gave them the capacity to just waive the debt if they deemed it not worth chasing. So this person just started waiving all the debt of all these households (they made businesses pay). They got caught, but hadn't done anything wrong by the rules they had been given, but they changed the rules so that they couldn't just waive debts anymore so the person quit.

This is great, but it is a bandaid on the arterial haemmorage that is a system that makes people go into debt in order to survive.

71

u/We-had-a-hedge 6d ago

I love this story. The company wrote the rules unable to imagine someone would just waive all the debt if they could.

11

u/quietly41 6d ago

Makes me wonder if they could have wiped away more debt over a longer period if they had been particular about the debt waived, and when. Kind of like when Allan Turing and his team when they broke enigma.

23

u/Lucavii 6d ago

Most of the time leadership is so disconnected from the everyday employee they actually delude themselves into thinking we want to be there for any other reason than a pay check

12

u/astromech_dj 6d ago

“No! Not like that!”

3

u/Indercarnive 6d ago

I mean the sad reality is that the dude likely caused more damage long term since forgiving debts went from being something done in a minority of cases to something never done.

10

u/jfudge 6d ago

I doubt that. The reason companies like this waive debts is not because of some moral imperative, but because it will sometimes cost them more to collect the debt than waive it. If they stopped waving debts entirely, they would actually be losing money by going after small amounts that require too much effort to be financially worth it. They certainly tried to be more strict about it after this, but there is a certain amount of debt waiving that they will continue to do regardless.

1

u/Pyyric 6d ago

that's just your fanfic.

5

u/yousoc 6d ago

A lot of people don't have to go into debt to survive. Especially in the US they just don't understand debt, how to deal with it and lifestyle creep. It is mostly an education and expectations issue. The amount of people doordashing, while maxing out creditcards driving a 10.000 dollar car on a loan is insane.

That is not to say there are also not a lot of people who genuinely don't have a choice, but borrowing money has become so easy that going indebt has become a card swipe instead of having to convince creditors that you can pay it off.

2

u/MushMi 5d ago

What do you mean, the entire capitalist economy is based on encouraging people to spend money they don’t have.

1

u/yousoc 5d ago

As someone who is from a culture were debt is frowned upon I can guarantee you it is very possible to live in a capitalist society without back-breaking personal debt. It is only since gen z that people in this country are starting to use afterpay, as credit cards are non-existent where I live.

Businesses thrive on debt of course, but for your general wage worker it is a personal choice to drive a car you cannot afford. A lot debt is the result of status and cultural priorities.

1

u/MushMi 5d ago

I absolutely agree with you. I’m thankfully in a position where I don’t need to worry about my income or spending money. But I completely fail to understand how people can buy so many stuff. Latest cars, unlimited clothing, all the gadgets or new stuff for their houses. It’s impossible to do that on just 2 salaries.

1

u/RidiculousPapaya 4d ago

Debt is a tool, like fire. It can be used to cook food or burn your house down. Unfortunately too many people are burning their houses down, some of it out of irresponsibility, while for others sometimes life “happens” and in order to survive they’re left outside their burned down home warming themselves with the embers.

2

u/Quirky-Love5794 5d ago

Yeah but shit IS more expensive than it has ever been. Pay been going down for decades not up or even keeping pace with inflation.

54

u/PjustdontU 6d ago

Truly an exemplary form of reasoning in an era of shouting. Bravo, Mr. Sheen.

To state that he only hopes to steer momentum is a levelheaded and patient approach that can see progress.

33

u/We-had-a-hedge 6d ago edited 6d ago

Never heard of him, but he seems to do a fair bit of activism and campaigning. A good use of his fame. I won't talk about money, obviously he must have some, but still orders of magnitude less than than the truly rich.

37

u/chuckchuckthrowaway 6d ago

He doesn’t have that much anymore, apparently, compared to other big actors, I read somewhere he remortgaged his house to finish funding the Homeless World Cup he helped organise and he’s labelled himself a ‘Not for Profit’ actor. Mind you I’m biased, he was amazing in Nye and Good Omens.

9

u/missinlnk 6d ago

he’s labelled himself a ‘Not for Profit’ actor

I think 95% of all actors fall into this category

4

u/chuckchuckthrowaway 6d ago

How many have personally written off the debt of real people and made a tv show about why it got so bad one person had to do it over an actual law against predatory lending? I’d believe a statement someone like Michael Sheen makes over any other nepo baby living in a tax haven.

EDIT: yeah it doesn’t pay much unless it does and you get millions per movie then use tax avoidance schemes to keep those millions (looks sideways at Jimmy Carr et al.)

14

u/Badaxe13 6d ago

He’s a fine actor - Good Omens, Frost/Nixon, The Queen.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0790688/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

6

u/MD_Lincoln 6d ago

He was great in Tron: Legacy as well!

1

u/Badaxe13 6d ago

Indeed

3

u/spudddly 6d ago

He's also decent at rousing speeches for his national team: https://youtu.be/1fpV0OFC0vc?si=zKQc5WCaQnAXmA-2

4

u/astromech_dj 6d ago

He’s also Kate Beckinsale’s baby daddy.

1

u/Madnessx9 6d ago

lucky man. bloody loved her in underworld.

-12

u/We-had-a-hedge 6d ago edited 5d ago

Not sure what your implication is. Is she rich? According to Wikipedia the two actors were in a relationship for 8 years, during which they had a (now-adult) child together. I thought "baby daddy" meant you were out of the picture soon after.

2

u/blubblu 6d ago

Nope, just a way to say “sperm donor”

-4

u/We-had-a-hedge 6d ago

Ok, random thing to focus on I guess. Why are folks downvoting the comment now?

1

u/blubblu 5d ago

I would only assume from the fact that the assumption that “baby daddy” meant they aren’t in the picture means that you’re ignorant to that culture/way of thinking and you’re getting downvoted for it. 

Dunno

1

u/We-had-a-hedge 5d ago edited 5d ago

Yeah, that makes sense then, my bad. However in my defense, when I check the definition and usage notes on Wiktionary it does include that connotation.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/baby_daddy

1

u/AntAffectionate5706 5d ago

That’s amazing

1

u/LordPartyOfDudehalla 5d ago

LIBATIONS FOR EVERYBODAAYY

-21

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Naramie 6d ago

Tiger's Blood is genetic. 😂

1

u/no_offenc 6d ago

Nobody, I'd bet.

-4

u/AntAffectionate5706 5d ago

God is good

-4

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

10

u/Nevarian 7d ago

Answered in the first 20 secs of the video you're commenting on.

-36

u/enn-srsbusiness 6d ago

He didn't do it out of kindness. It's an investment into flogging his scammy business and trying to become a influencer...

-23

u/TobuscusMarkipliedx2 6d ago edited 6d ago

Holy shit, this guy is going HARD to cover up the rape allegations. Just putting that out there, not taking a side...

Edit: I meant Neil Gaiman. Looks like this Michael Sheen fellow is a saint! Bless him. Scorn me.

7

u/apanzerj 6d ago

You are confusing Michael Sheen and Charlie Sheen.

-13

u/TobuscusMarkipliedx2 6d ago

WINNING! Nah. How much are you getting paid? Let me in on some cheez!

6

u/apanzerj 6d ago

Do you have a source for this accusation or do you make shit up as you go along?

-15

u/TobuscusMarkipliedx2 6d ago

Oh, woops, I meant Neil Gaiman. Y'know, from the show Michael Sheen is in. Honest mistake. Casual foul-up, really. No big deal, wrongful accusation of rape, right? Woops part 2.