Michael Sheen: 'Woody Allen a hands-on director'

Michael Sheen has said that Midnight in Paris director Woody Allen offered him numerous "incisive" acting tips.

Sheen admitted that he was surprised by the three-time Academy Award winner's keenly defined vision for the movie given his reputation for encouraging improvisation among his actors.

"Woody would give you sort of a free hand, but at the same time he'd be very hands-on as well in terms of the direction, which was quite surprising," the Welsh actor told HitFix.

"One of the myths and legends about Woody is that he doesn't sort of get involved with what [his actors are] doing in a scene, but actually I thought he gave incredibly incisive notes about the acting, the scene, and the rhythm of it. So, some things I heard about Woody were true… but then other things were completely opposite."

Sheen, who co-stars with girlfriend Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson in the movie, previously revealed that he knew nothing about Midnight in Paris when he first met with the director to discuss joining the project.

Midnight in Paris - Allen's 41st feature film - is now on limited release in the US.

> Rachel McAdams: 'Allen runs civilised set'
> Woody Allen 'lucky to have creative control'

Watch a trailer for Midnight in Paris below: