Michael Sheen says his former lover Kate Beckinsale and his current girlfriend Sarah Silverman are good friends.

Michael Sheen and Sarah Silverman

Michael Sheen and Sarah Silverman

The British actor, who has a teenage daughter called Lily with the 'Pearl Harbor' star, has revealed Kate and Sarah get on well and there is no awkwardness between them.

He shared: "They get on so well. They are also both people who have a very particular sense of humour. Kate is very funny and very sharp. So, obviously, is Sarah. They really bonded with that."

Michael said his ex-girlfriend is keen to have strong women, like Sarah, around their young daughter as she grows up.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "Kate has said this, you want strong female role models around your daughter. Kate feels very much that Sarah is a good female role model for Lily."

Meanwhile, Michael is currently preparing to participate in an annual charity soccer match as Old Trafford in Manchester, England, and has revealed he came perilously close to pursuing a career as a professional sportsman rather than an actor.

He is thankful, though, that he ultimately decided to follow his Hollywood ambition, admitting he stood a better chance of making it as a movie star than he did as a soccer player.

The 'Midnight in Paris' star said: "I'm glad that is what happened. If I had gone down that road, I would have had a very different and possibly catastrophic failure of a life.

"People talk about how precarious it is as an actor but the number who play at the top level in football is minuscule."

The much-anticipated match at Old Trafford will see Michael play with the likes of Niall Horan, Louis Tomlison and Robbie Williams, as well as a host of current and retired soccer stars.

The game is being played in aid of Unicef, the world's leading organisation for children.