Michael Fassbender

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Birthday:

2 April 1977, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany

Height:

183 cm

Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a German father, Josef, and an Irish mother, Adele (originally from Larne, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland). Michael was raised in the town of Killarney, Co. Kerry, in south-west Ireland, where his family moved to when he was two years old. His parents ran a restaurant (his father is a chef).Fassbender is based in London, England, and became known in the U.S. after his role in the Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). In 2011, Fassbender debuted as the Marvel antihero Magneto in the prequel X: First Class (2011); he would go on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Also in 2011, Fassbender's performance as a sex addict in Shame (2011) received critical acclaim. He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. In 2013, his role as slave owner Edwin Epps in slavery epic 12 Years a Slave (2013) was similarly praised, earning him his first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. 12 Years a Slave marked Fassbender's third collaboration with Steve McQueen, who also directed Hunger and Shame. In 2013, Fassbender appeared in another Ridley Scott film, The Counselor (2013). In 2015, he portrayed Steve Jobs (2015) in the Danny Boyle-directed biopic of the same name, and played Macbeth (2015) in Justin Kurzel's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. For the former, he has received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actor. As well as acting, Fassbender produced the 2015 western Slow West (2015), which he also starred in. Show less «

You know, I spent a lot of time out of work. Now I'm trying to make hay while the sun is shining.

[on creating his character David in Prometheus (2012) with Ridley Scott] We took inspiration from David Bowie and some of his looks as well....Show more »

[on creating his character David in Prometheus (2012) with Ridley Scott] We took inspiration from David Bowie and some of his looks as well. I liked the idea of having a feminine quality to him for sure. Show less «

[on his preparation for Hunger (2008)] I felt really focused, really centred, really strong. Hungry all the time, obviously.

We live in this society where nowadays if I want something, I take it, I eat it - it's so easy and readily available. When you take all that...Show more »

We live in this society where nowadays if I want something, I take it, I eat it - it's so easy and readily available. When you take all that away, you actually become more appreciative of the things around you. I don't want to do it again, but there is a level where it humbles you in a good way. Show less «

I lost about 14 kilos and weighed 59 kilos by the end. It was the only way we could do it and make it convincing (on portraying hunger-strik...Show more »

I lost about 14 kilos and weighed 59 kilos by the end. It was the only way we could do it and make it convincing (on portraying hunger-striker Bobby Sands in Hunger (2008)). Show less «

In drama school, they don't think of movies as a pure form like theater, and it's films that I love most. There's an intimacy in movies - I ...Show more »

In drama school, they don't think of movies as a pure form like theater, and it's films that I love most. There's an intimacy in movies - I wanted to have the same impact on others that movies had on me. -- on why he dropped out of the Drama Center. Show less «

[on picking roles] I'm just following my gut instinct.

[on Quentin Tarantino] You know the man eats, breathes, lives film. You could bring up the most obscure movie, like some fuckin' Swedish fil...Show more »

[on Quentin Tarantino] You know the man eats, breathes, lives film. You could bring up the most obscure movie, like some fuckin' Swedish film from 1963 or whatever and he'll know it. It's quite staggering, actually, he is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Show less «

For me, Daniel Day-Lewis is in a league of his own. I think that he's amazing. And he's always been a benchmark of excellence.

[2011, on what attracted him to Jane Eyre (2011)] It's a classic, and the reason people keep doing it is because there are so many things th...Show more »

[2011, on what attracted him to Jane Eyre (2011)] It's a classic, and the reason people keep doing it is because there are so many things that seem to still resonate with audiences today. They like to disappear in that world. I did it because my mother and my sister are really big fans of the book, and I wanted to see what they would think of the "Rochester" that I would bring to the table. That's the first reason I wanted to do it. And then when Cary Joji Fukunaga, [director] came on board, I was really excited, because Sin nombre (2009) was such a good film, such a beautiful story, and so beautifully told. I was like, "This is going to be interesting, an American director coming over and doing his take on this, the classic British piece". I like that the characters are ugly and they're beautiful and they're cruel and they're nurturing. There's so much complexity to the characters, they're so well-written, and I find that interesting. There's ambiguity within the characters, and that's what really attracted me to it, to the performance. Show less «

[on his own unguarded nudity in Shame (2011)] It was important to go all out, not take shortcuts there, and to be sort of naked in every res...Show more »

[on his own unguarded nudity in Shame (2011)] It was important to go all out, not take shortcuts there, and to be sort of naked in every respect. Otherwise, I don't think the film would have worked. Show less «

[on if he felt 'disgusting' playing the role of Connor in Fish Tank (2009)] It washes away. I think it's important to go to places that are ...Show more »

[on if he felt 'disgusting' playing the role of Connor in Fish Tank (2009)] It washes away. I think it's important to go to places that are uncomfortable. For the benefit of others, maybe. You're facing all these ugly things, and knowing well this is an ugly thing and it's there somewhere in all of us. And so you're representing the ugliness. Connor does cross the line in Fish Tank, but on the flip-side he is the catalyst for [the heroine] to become her own person. He is the only one who inspires her with confidence to follow her dreams. And that she's not destined for shit. And so it's again playing with that ambiguity. Show less «

The problem is, we feel a lot of pressure about looking silly or appearing weak, whatever that means, or being a failure. You have to keep i...Show more »

The problem is, we feel a lot of pressure about looking silly or appearing weak, whatever that means, or being a failure. You have to keep in your head: what's the worst that can happen? I'm trying to tell a story - what's the worst that can happen? You fall flat on your face, then hopefully you get back up again and go for it again and try something else. We're all going to die one day. I'm stealing that off Steve [McQueen]; it's what he'd say when he ordered me to take my clothes off. 'WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE ONE DAY!' Show less «

[on being nude in films and full frontal nudity] To be honest with you again, I think it's the idea of male frontal nudity. It just baffles ...Show more »

[on being nude in films and full frontal nudity] To be honest with you again, I think it's the idea of male frontal nudity. It just baffles me: Women can parade around naked all the time, but the guy conveniently has his pants on. I remember my mom always complaining about that to me, saying, "This is such bullshit, it's always the women who are naked" ... so I did this one for you, Mom! Show less «

[on if he had any problem beating on Gina Carano in Haywire (2011)] It didn't really faze me. This isn't Michael Fassbender doing this, it's...Show more »

[on if he had any problem beating on Gina Carano in Haywire (2011)] It didn't really faze me. This isn't Michael Fassbender doing this, it's the character. I'm here to serve the story and the character. And in real life, Gina would beat the shit out of me in any circumstance. I mean, have you seen her on YouTube? Show less «

I suppose the German side wants to keep everything in control, and the Irish side wants to wreak havoc.

I have a theory that everyone's crazy anyway. And those who think they aren't, are the ones who are even crazier - because they're in denial...Show more »

I have a theory that everyone's crazy anyway. And those who think they aren't, are the ones who are even crazier - because they're in denial. Show less «

...but you keep a realism, put AC/DC on, get over it, keep positive.

I think you're either a good director or you're not, and it doesn't really matter if it's female or male. I mean, Andrea Arnold is very good...Show more »

I think you're either a good director or you're not, and it doesn't really matter if it's female or male. I mean, Andrea Arnold is very good at creating a safe environment to work in, and she loves working with actors and she's very clear. And all of those directors are like that - Steve McQueen, Quentin Tarantino. They love their work, and they're good at it, so it makes my job so much easier, and then they bring a lot more out of me because of that. Show less «

[on "David", his role in Prometheus (2012)] I am playing a robot. It'll be a good excuse, the critics can't say, 'Oh, he was very wooden in ...Show more »

[on "David", his role in Prometheus (2012)] I am playing a robot. It'll be a good excuse, the critics can't say, 'Oh, he was very wooden in that'. I can say, 'I was supposed to be'. I wanted to avoid attitude, make him appear like he's kind of neutral most of the time. But you also have to hint at a few human characteristics, as if he might have something like a soul. Show less «

At one point you think, Well, it's funny, I could just be a starving actor... So if somebody were to pull the plug right now, there'd be no ...Show more »

At one point you think, Well, it's funny, I could just be a starving actor... So if somebody were to pull the plug right now, there'd be no room for complaint. Show less «

I really wanted to be a guitarist - I wanted to be a lead guitarist. But I wasn't good enough. And it's always hard to find a drummer, espec...Show more »

I really wanted to be a guitarist - I wanted to be a lead guitarist. But I wasn't good enough. And it's always hard to find a drummer, especially in small towns. Or a bass player. So it was just me and this other guy Mike - the two Mikes - and we tried to put on a gig one time in this pub at lunchtime, playing Metallica. It didn't go off too well. They kept turning the volume down, so it was like Unplugged, but with electric guitars. That was the one and only gig I ever played. Show less «

I like characters that are flawed because we all are. People are complicated. Our behavior towards one another is strange. So I like opportu...Show more »

I like characters that are flawed because we all are. People are complicated. Our behavior towards one another is strange. So I like opportunities to investigate that. Show less «

[on the red carpet of the BAFTAs in 2012 about what films he enjoyed] You know, I haven't seen a great deal of films this year but I -- you ...Show more »

[on the red carpet of the BAFTAs in 2012 about what films he enjoyed] You know, I haven't seen a great deal of films this year but I -- you know, I really enjoyed Senna (2010). I have -- I was always sort of been -- you know, I was always a fan of Ayrton Senna, and kind of was my introduction to Formula 1, and I'm a big fan of that. So I really enjoyed that. Show less «

[on how society validated the brutalizing slave system] I think that was part and parcel of the day. How many people are holding the Bible u...Show more »

[on how society validated the brutalizing slave system] I think that was part and parcel of the day. How many people are holding the Bible up with one hand and trying to launch a missile with the other? I almost think religion and pain go hand-in-hand sometimes, and that was sort of the way to just keep everyone in check, another way of keeping people suppressed and controlled. Show less «

[on undertaking Edwin Epps role in 12 Years a Slave (2013)] I just tried to find a human being there, as opposed to some evil plantation own...Show more »

[on undertaking Edwin Epps role in 12 Years a Slave (2013)] I just tried to find a human being there, as opposed to some evil plantation owner. This is complex, this sort of relationship. Obviously being a slave is the worst deal. You get whipped and beaten and suppressed every day, but the suppressor is also going to be affected by that. So how does that affect the person administering all this pain and suffering? He's a human being who's caught up in something so complicated and so unjust. I always thought of Epps as a boil on the skin of society, representing how damaged the whole society was. Show less «

[on working with Marion Cotillard in Macbeth (2015)] She's got so much courage just to take on the part in the first place. She's quite a qu...Show more »

[on working with Marion Cotillard in Macbeth (2015)] She's got so much courage just to take on the part in the first place. She's quite a quiet person, but onscreen she's just electric. I didn't have to discuss any ideas that I wanted to do, anything that came to mind during a take. I would just do it, and she always responded. She's just very easy to work with. Zero drama, except what's in the scene. Show less «

[on the effect of playing the role of 'Frank' with a paper bag on his head] When you put on a mask there's this sort of feeling like being b...Show more »

[on the effect of playing the role of 'Frank' with a paper bag on his head] When you put on a mask there's this sort of feeling like being bulletproof. I immediately felt a sense of mischief, playfulness and an anarchic sort of streak as well. Kind of like that trust exercise where you fall backwards and hopefully the people in the room catch you, otherwise you hit the ground. That's kind of what it was like every day. Show less «

[on improvising] It's hard. Sometimes it just becomes mush. It's very important that the team doing it are in sync and are listening to one ...Show more »

[on improvising] It's hard. Sometimes it just becomes mush. It's very important that the team doing it are in sync and are listening to one another and they've got a direction. Otherwise it could turn into a shouting fest - it just becomes rudderless. Show less «

[on his reaction to watching himself in movies] I love it. I like to do it many times. (Laughs) No, it's not a particular fun thing to do. I...Show more »

[on his reaction to watching himself in movies] I love it. I like to do it many times. (Laughs) No, it's not a particular fun thing to do. It's like hearing your answering message on the phone. Except you get the visual to go with it. So, yeah, I just think it's part of my job to sort of take a look and see what I've done wrong. Show less «

The great thing about doing independent films is that they move fast, and I like that. I like the speed, and having to be on your toes...The...Show more »

The great thing about doing independent films is that they move fast, and I like that. I like the speed, and having to be on your toes...The little films need the big films to do well because they are dependent on getting that money. Frank (2014) gets made because I do something like X: First Class (2011) or Prometheus (2012). Show less «

[on being cast as 'Frank'] I just read the script and was like, "This is nuts. This is fucking nuts, and I want to be part of it." It's fun....Show more »

[on being cast as 'Frank'] I just read the script and was like, "This is nuts. This is fucking nuts, and I want to be part of it." It's fun. I laughed out loud many times reading it, and it was poignant and touching. He is this sort of frail, geeky character... I definitely ramped up the physicality more than I would do in another film because the expression is essentially from the neck down. Show less «

Well physically, I am attracted to darker women, I'm not gonna lie. To me I personally find them beautiful, but of course there's more to a ...Show more »

Well physically, I am attracted to darker women, I'm not gonna lie. To me I personally find them beautiful, but of course there's more to a person than what meets the eye. Everyone has their own uniqueness. Show less «

[on impersonating Ian McKellen's accent in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)] In the last film, Matthew (Vaughn, its director) said 'I like ...Show more »

[on impersonating Ian McKellen's accent in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)] In the last film, Matthew (Vaughn, its director) said 'I like your accent, it's kind of weird - not really Irish, but there's this strange sort of James Bond edge'. So I didn't have to do any work on it. But here the performances needed to parallel each other, so rather than going up to Sir Ian and saying 'You need to study my accent,' I thought I'd try to copy his... After all, it's his role. I'm just a visitor. There was this clip on YouTube where Sir Ian was giving a lecture on Shakespeare, I listened to that one over and over to try and get it. So when you see this 'X-Men,' well, I sound a bit different. Perhaps the whole time Magneto's been locked up he's been taking elocution lessons. Show less «

[on Marion Cotillard - Cannes Film Festival, 2015] I think Marion is the best in the business. She brings a grace to everything that she doe...Show more »

[on Marion Cotillard - Cannes Film Festival, 2015] I think Marion is the best in the business. She brings a grace to everything that she does, which is just in her I think. But at the same time she is very human and I think when she portrays a character the audience has something of a mirror in front of them and see much of themselves in her. Just to be standing opposite her and to see just the most engaged partner and somebody who is listening seems like such a simple thing, but the best actors are great listeners. She listens so brilliantly and responds to whatever is happening in the moment and is very generous in return. She'll take something, use it, form it and give it back to you. So it's very easy. We worked comprehensively in rehearsal, but once we started filming we didn't discuss things and just presented them when the camera was rolling. I really enjoy that way of working. Show less «

I'm terrible with technology. It behaves strangely around me. Things crash all the time. I rejected the mobile phone for so long, until peop...Show more »

I'm terrible with technology. It behaves strangely around me. Things crash all the time. I rejected the mobile phone for so long, until people were like, 'We can't get in touch with you. This can't go on.' Show less «

After 'Prometheus' I think I did six films back-to-back, and it's fine when you're doing them - OK, that's cool, I'll just go on to the next...Show more »

After 'Prometheus' I think I did six films back-to-back, and it's fine when you're doing them - OK, that's cool, I'll just go on to the next one - but it's actually in that downtime period where you stop and think, What's going on with me? Show less «

[on if he knew Marion Cotillard before working with her in Macbeth (2015)] I had met her very briefly at these sorts of events, but no, I ha...Show more »

[on if he knew Marion Cotillard before working with her in Macbeth (2015)] I had met her very briefly at these sorts of events, but no, I hadn't had a conversation with her. I just told her I was a fan of her work and think she's just an amazing actor. She does so much by appearing to do nothing. She has this amazing strength and fragility in the same beat of an eyelash. She's very generous partner to work with, very easy to work with. I don't like to talk too much, with either director or actor, before doing the scene. I always think it's a way of preventing yourself from going and doing it. It's like, I'm a bit scared, so I'll talk, rather than just going and going through things and trying, throwing things out. She just picks up the ball and she runs with it, like that scene-the scorpion scene. I put my hand underneath her dress; I didn't tell her I was going to do that, and she took it and she went with it and then she kisses me and then pulls away. She's got this sort of repulsion, and then she reengages, and she's like, "I love this man, I feel him, he's sick." All these things are happening on her face. That's when you realize you're in the presence of somebody great. I knew when she came on board I was just so happy, I knew she would nail it. And she brings this sort of royal quality. I love the idea that he's more rough, sort of from the gutter-type character, and she's regal, she's got royal blood. It's the dichotomy between them. It's pretty cool. Show less «

I always try and understand, and not judge. It's like, I always think that all of us are pretty much the same. You know, we're all made up o...Show more »

I always try and understand, and not judge. It's like, I always think that all of us are pretty much the same. You know, we're all made up of the same things. We all want the same things. We wanna be accepted, we wanna be loved. Show less «