Michael Sheen urges Clough’s family to see his flick ‘The Damned United’

London, March 20: Hollywood actor Michael Sheen has urged late Brian Clough’s family to watch his flick ‘The Damned United’, in which he plays the English football legend.Michael, who plays Clough in the flick based on a book chronicling his 44 days, spent managing soccer team Leeds United in 1974 before he was fired.

Although Clough`s family plans to boycott the flick in protest against the way he was portrayed in the novel, Michael has informed them that the flick version has adopted a different attitude towards Clough. "It`s a much more affectionate and respectful look at Brian. I hope they get to see it because I can understand their fears. I know they weren`t happy with the book but I think the film is a very different animal,” the Daily Star quoted Michael as saying. "We felt that any film that was going to be about Brian Clough would have to be something that showed why people had so much affection and admiration for him. I think the film does service to that and I hope that if any of the family get to watch it they can make their minds up after that,” he added. Michael told the family that he had put his heart and soul into the character, and that they would be happy to see his portrayal of Clough. "I had to get into Brian`s mind. I had to read everything I could read, watch everything, listen to everything, talk to people about him - and just live with that for a few months, make it seep in and then eventually try and make a connection with the person and go from there,” Michael said. "He`s an amazing character. He`s such a complicated man, he had a lot of different sides to him, so it was quite demanding,” he added. Clough became one of the most respected managers in English soccer in the late 1970s and 1980s, when he led Nottingham Forest to league and European championship successes. He died of cancer in 2004, aged 69. ANI