Believing

fassinatingfassbender:

Thanks to C for translating L’Optimum!

Michael Fassbender: Loose the beast 

Magneto in  X-Men: First Class and incarnation of Carl Jung in the new

Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method. Michael Fassbender plays in the big game

Shame, of  Steve McQueen: There he uncovers in the skin of a thirty something devoured by his obsession with sex. Interview cards on the table. 

Gamble 

I can not advance in my profession as an actor without taking risks. I do not like the comfort, or the sensation of not getting anything out of a role, a experience. Since Hunger I wanted to rework with Steve. But with him, no alternative: we must be prepared to commit up in his project, has to go very far. On Shame, I did not hesitate, a second. 

Game two 

The scenes of sex is always a complicated turn. You run out has put the actress who is in front of you has the most comfortable possible. You talk a lot of limits has not crossed, to make her feel more in the security. Then, this is the stage director not to abuse the situation, not to exploit it the expense in actors. It’s all about mutual trust. And not desire of inappropriate. 

Threesome 

In the final scene of Shame, that of threesomes, everything is simulated. It is the art of illusion. A magic trick. I obviously had to give a background to give the impression that everything is real. But to believe in truth, when it’s all contraire, is part of my profession. (or - while this is all contraire, is part of my profession.) It would have been unlikely to turn it into a porno. That interest? Steve placed the camera ( VTR functions) Dee Dee and Calamity have been a very big help. These are two dancers. They are very at ease with their bodies and mastered very well. It facilitates the work. 

Addiction 

You can have a libido, want sex all the time, good for you. But this is not about Shame. This is not a critique of male sexuality either. All men do not go out at night with the sole aim of bringing someone home. Brandon, my character, a true problem of addiction: sex messes up his life, his surroundings, his working relationships. Shame, this is the story of a man who lets himself be dominated by his own impulses. 

Core Asset 

If all the girls are going to want to sleep with me after seeing this film? I’ve never pondered. I especially think that Brandon is a guy pushing his sexual neurosis. It clears nothing attractive in the scenes of copulation. It’s his vulnerability, that of a man struggling against his condition, which affects the public. It can not embody an object of fantasy. 

Jackpot 

If I had, ten years ago, the same notoriety that today, I guess I’d have a little advantage. Outings, evenings, meetings … But I have a rather simple life. Nothing has really changed for me in my daily life. My family, my friends help me to keep my feet on the ground. And, finally, in the street, people do not recognize me so many times. 

Texas Hold’Em 

I’m not very gifted with the cards. My grandmother, she was very strong. I play Texas Hold’em and blackjack. I rarely frequent the casinos. I mainly play with mates. The stakes are never exceeding $ 20. All that remains innocent …. 

Gaming 

I lent my voice has a game called Fable 3 and yet I don’t have console at home. For the same reason I do not own television: I do not want to dwell. The few times I let myself be taken by a video game - racing cars are the games that I prefer - I ended up falling asleep in front of the screen, to continue the party dream, eyes closed … 

Bad Player 

I did not dare look at people around me at the end of the projection of Shame at Venice festival. It was weird. When the lights came back at the generic end, I wanted to give me a little more time to collect my thoughts. I did not know what to do. I felt suddenly naked. It was pretty intense. 

Bank 

Hunger is what has finally launched my career. Although the public has not street en masse to see the movie, I at least allowed to be recognized by other stage directors. I am aware of having had Steve enormously. Few people would accept an unknown actor to embark on such a venture on such a subject. He took that risk. And it has changed my life … 

Bankruptcy 

I touch the bottom, I believe, the day I am forced to shoot scenes of simulated sex not on camera! (or, I’ll hit rock bottom the day I need to have sex not on film)
 
 

L’optimum magazine Dec 11/ Jan 12