Martin Sheen: Talks Charlie Sheen and "Who Do You Think You Are?"

He wasn't the president of the United States, but he did play one on TV.

It's follows that you must ask Martin Sheen, 71, a crucial question when it comes to the fate of the United States.

Giants or Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday? Sheen, one of the big and small screen legends, doesn't give some ambiguous answer.

No waffling. No trying to please everyone.

"I hope the Giants win," he says. "I don't know why. They beat my favorite team the 49ers last week, and they are the ones that I'd like to win."

Now, back to more pressing business. Sheen, calling from his house outside of Los Angles, is the first subject of "Who Do You Think You Are," premiering this Friday on NBC at 8 p.m. Sheen says he did the show "without hesitation."

"I don't own a computer and I'm way behind on these new methods of gaining information, but I was fascinated by it." What followed was six months of research on his family in both Ireland and Spain."

"I think anyone that goes on one of these journeys, in front of the camera or on the Internet, is really looking for a personal identification with the past," he says.

The information he found even surprised Sheen.

LOOKING AT HIS PAST

Sheen already knew that his family was both Spanish and Irish. "They were united by a peasant heritage and were people in love with the land. They shared a deep faith," he says. "What was important to them was family, loyalty to family, community and country.

"It was deeply satisfying for me to learn that they were very similar of culture," he says. "I'm just as proud of being Spanish as I am of being Irish."

"Both cultures confirmed my on sense of humanity and faith," he says.

There were also a few rebels.

"My uncle Michael Fieland in Ireland fought in the War of Independence and then fought against the Free State in the Civil War from 1921 to 1923."

"My father's brother Matias fought against Franco at the onset of his coup and spent an awful lot of time in jail. In fact, he received a life sentence that we finally rescinded.

 "These connections are amazing and so deeply personal."

"Both of them had risen up against oppression," he says. "They suffered mightily for it, but stuck to their principles. Maybe this is some unknown quality that I have possessed."

"The message is clear," he says. "Maybe this is part of my DNA."

He says one of his biggest "wow" moments during the process was learning about his mother, MaryAnn Fieland.

"She arrived at Ellis Island in New York City about a week before her 21st birthday in 1921," he says. "She was born in 1903 and we always suspected that she was sent away to protect her from any harm during the Civil War because it got very, very intense, particularly in Northern Tipperary where she was from."

"Indeed, she was sent away for her own protection," he says.  "She was meant to come back when the fighting stopped in Ireland."

"I learned while I was in Ireland that the British officers were very, very reluctant to search young girls under the age of 16, and so often they were used as couriers with information supporting the Rising," he says. 

"She was as committed as her brother and risked as much," he says.

Sheen says he wasn't worried about uncovering any family secrets.

"Somebody once told me, 'Look , if they discover that your great, great grandfather was a slave trader it's a part of history that can't be changed. You can only learn from it," says Sheen who found no such skeletons in his proverbial closet.

A COMMITMENT TO IRELAND

After "The West Wing" ended, Sheen quietly spent some time in Ireland in a little village called Kilbourn in Northern Tipperary.

"I went to school for a short time in Ireland after the West Wing ended," he says. "I always had this kind of romantic image about going to school and I thought if I went in Ireland I wouldn't be a marked guy," he says. 

He did a semester at the National University of Ireland, NUI at Galway. He even took a Shakespeare course.

"My main focus was on the environment," he says. 

He says you're never too old to explore a new passion. "I studied Earth and ocean science because I have a lot of concern about the environment and I'm involved with several organizations in California trying to protect the environment."

"It was a great experience," he says. "Deeply satisfying. And it brought me much closer to my Irish roots."

ANOTHER HISTORY LESSON

Martin Sheen's real name is Ramon Estevez. "I have never changed it," he says. "It is my official name. It's on all contracts and my driver's license and our marriage license. All the children were baptized under that name including Emilio and Ramon. Carlos is Charlie's real name and then there is my daughter Renee."

Martin Sheen came to New York in 1959. "Frankly, I had a great deal of difficulty projecting a Spanish heritage because there was so much prejudice against the Puerto Rican community. Never mind that they were Americans, but they were newly considered immigrants in New York City and there was a great deal of difficulty."  

"Mind you, I was no less proud, but I was equally concerned about how that would affect me trying to pursue a life in New York City, and so I decided to kind of invent a new character, Martin Sheen."

"I took Sheen from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen who at the time was the Auxiliary Bishop of New York," he says.

"One of the biggest regrets my father had was that I changed my name," he says. "Emilio got the message and kept the name."

"Charlie decided to go with Sheen and his motivation was to keep my name," he says. "I was honored by him choosing to do that."

WHAT HE HOPES HIS GRANDCHILDREN WILL LEARN FROM HIM

"I did this search for my grandchildren and their children," he says. "I'm 71 years old. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be around."

"If something could be uncovered that would be meaningful to future generations, I would find that very satisfying."

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