Emilio Estevez remembers his dad shouting the Lord's Prayer 'at the top of his lungs' while being arrested

Emilio Estevez in his latest movie, The Public (Photo: Universal Pictures)

Emilio Estevez is the son of Hollywood legend Martin Sheen but in addition to being a star of the big screen, his dad was also a passionate activist who often found himself on the wrong side of the law with his public protests. 

Estevez, famous as the teenager on detention in the 1985 flick The Breakfast Club, shared some insights into his adolescence in an interview with the British magazine for the homeless, The Big Issue

He said his dad's activism mostly concerned immigration, the homeless, and campaigning against nuclear weapons. 

The activism is especially resonating with Estevez because one of his newer movies, The Public, is about a librarian who takes a brave stand for the homeless people in his local community.

He says his dad was arrested 69 times for non-violent civil disobedience and that when he was young, he used to feel "embarrassed" about it.  But as he got older, his attitude changed and now he's thanking his dad for the lessons he taught him. 

"As a boy and as a young man, I would watch him on the news - oftentimes they would only cover the protests because he was going and he was drawing attention to the issue," he told the magazine.

"Or I would sit next to my mother as he was carted off in handcuffs, reciting the Lord's Prayer at the top of his lungs looking out of his mind.

"I was embarrassed as a young man.

"I understood fundamentally why he was doing it, but did not understand on a spiritual level until I started working on my new film, The Public - which takes place in a library and deals with homelessness and mental illness."

Sheen was really moved when he watched a screening of the movie, Estevez says. "I screened it for my dad and he was in tears.

"I said, 'I paid attention. I understood.  I listened to you - and God bless you.' 

"I thanked him for another lesson I didn't realise I was learning."

News
British court rejects Ukrainian extradition for Church supporter
British court rejects Ukrainian extradition for Church supporter

A British court has rejected an extradition request by the Ukrainian government for a supporter of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

BBC ignorant of religion, says Archbishop of York
BBC ignorant of religion, says Archbishop of York

The BBC suffers from an “appalling lack of religious literacy”, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has said.

Iranian Bishop of Chelmsford denounces 'unjust and illegal' war
Iranian Bishop of Chelmsford denounces 'unjust and illegal' war

The Bishop of Chelmsford, who fled from Iran as a teenager, has denounced the US-Israeli attack on the country as “unjust and illegal”.

The calling of Christians in these solemn days
The calling of Christians in these solemn days

In such an hour, the church must neither panic nor grow silent. We are called to pray and to proclaim.