Michael Fassbender

by Jim Maloney

  Later, Michael paid tribute to another of his acting heroes who was at the festival, Gary Oldman, who had played British spy George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. After saying that he had been following Gary’s career since he was 14 and that he ‘blows my mind’, he added that he felt very humble tonight. When told what Michael had said about him by journalists present, Gary replied, ‘I think he’s the bollocks. The real deal. When I heard what he’d said about me, I thought, “Here’s back at you, kid.”’

  Shame lost out in the Best Film category to the Russian film, Faust, directed by Aleksandr Sokurov, but the jury president, US director Darren Aronofsky, paid special tribute to it, saying, ‘We were blown away by Shame and the cinematic power of it.’

  The following day Michael flew with Steve McQueen to Toronto, where he was reunited with his girlfriend, Zoe Kravitz. The pair attended a movie party at Grey Goose Soho House, where – in the top floor recreation room – Michael enjoyed a game of table tennis with the American actor Justin Long, who was in town for the screening of his movie, Ten Year. Michael and Zoe also attended the prestigious Creative Artists Agency party at the Burroughes Building, where he was congratulated on his success at Venice by the likes of Colin Farrell, Clive Owen, Gerard Butler and Ethan Hawke.

  Come the festival itself, Shame was watched in stunned silence by the audience, followed by rapturous applause. Later, Michael told a Canadian interviewer that he didn’t care about choosing roles to suit any kind of perceived image that he had, nor did he think of himself as a commodity. ‘It’s my job to go to places that are uncomfortable to go to, or to push the envelope, so that an audience member can vicariously take that journey with me, and ask questions, serious questions of themselves,’ he said. But, worried about sounding too precious, he smiled and added, ‘…as well as doing more popcorn-driven films.’

  He also underlined that he was taking the rest of the year off to ‘clear the decks’ and because he didn’t want to ‘bore everybody’.

  Meanwhile, Jane Eyre had been released to generally excellent reviews. ‘Cool, temperate, finely wrought, this new adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is enclosed in a crinoline of intelligent good taste,’ said The Guardian, adding, ‘Michael Fassbender plays Rochester with a measured, observant intensity.’ The critic from USA Today agreed: ‘Michael Fassbender powerfully portrays the surliness of the tormented Mr Rochester.’

  Michael and Mia’s on screen relationship worked for most. ‘Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender breathe new life into Charlotte Bronte’s drama of love and loss in this surprisingly unmelodramatic and sparse costume drama,’ said the Sun. ‘A beautifully elegant re-telling of Charlotte Bronte’s classic with the protagonists moody and moving,’ said the Sunday Mirror. ‘I’m inclined to say that the Wasikowska/Fassbender duet puts all others to shame – they are leaps and bounds better than Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine in the 1944 film,’ said the Daily Telegraph, adding, ‘Fassbender, imposing as ever, has a feral quality that makes his handsomeness dangerous.’

  The Observer, however, couldn’t agree. ‘This Jane Eyre is a good-looking film, serious, thought through and well acted,’ it admitted. ‘Yet it ends up rather shallow, lacking the cinematic intensity of the Orson Welles version, though that was widely patronised and sneered at in its day.’

  For its part, Total Film magazine couldn’t leave the subject of James Bond alone: ‘As Rochester, Fassbender again shows he’s one of his generation’s most virile, compelling leading men, in a role (previously played, lest we forget, by one Timothy Dalton) that will do his chances of landing Bond no harm at all.’

  After flying back to Venice to pick up his bike, Michael continued his road trip on his own, through the French Alps and Barcelona and arriving in San Sebastian for the Film Festival on 23 September. He caused quite a stir in his biking leathers as he pulled up outside the Maria Cristina Hotel, where he gave interviews with the Spanish media to promote Shame.

  At the festival, Steve McQueen received a Special Recognition award from the Youth Jury, made up of young Spanish film students. Michael presented the trophy for Best European Film to Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? then memorably showed off his vocal talents at the closing ceremony. As a parade of leading lights took the microphone in turn onstage at the Kursaal Palace to say a brief farewell, he surprised everyone by singing the Sinatra favourite Summer Wind – a fond look back at a fleeting romance – to generous applause. The following day he was back on his bike, travelling to Biarritz before finally heading home to London, travelling about 5,000 miles in all.

  Michael might have taken a break from making films but the promotional carousel continued at a pace. On 24 October he attended the premiere for A Dangerous Method at the BFI London Film Festival at the Odeon West End in London with co-stars Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg. But it wasn’t long before he was out of the country again. On 6 November a special screening of Haywire caused a buzz at the American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles, where Michael was reunited with his co-stars Ewan McGregor and Gina Carano at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

  Then he was off to GQ magazine’s annual Men of the Year party at the luxury Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, where he was named Break-out Star of the Year. He also brought along his new girlfriend.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  SHAMELESS LOVE

  As quietly as he had begun dating her, Michael signalled that his relationship with Zoe Kravitz had come to an end when he invited his new love to Chateau Marmont. The pair arrived separately but, no matter how discreet he liked to be about his love life, there was no hiding the fact that the pair had already been seen naked in bed together – by millions around the world.

  Michael was besieged by autograph hunters as he arrived, wearing a black suit and white open-necked shirt. Patiently he took the time to sign his name again and again but it was rather like King Canute trying to hold back the tide and it was some time before he made it inside the building. Once there, he smoked a cigar as he mingled with other guests – including Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Nicole Sherzinger and Jay-Z – with his arm around the waist of his date, his Shame co-star Nicole Beharie.

  Michael told an interviewer for GQ magazine outside that his job was to facilitate characters in a story so a pat on the back was a nice feeling. He added that he was flattered to be in the company of the likes of Jay-Z because he was a big fan of his. When asked what he would have liked to do if it were not for acting, he laughed and said that his first dream was to be a musician but he wasn’t good enough. He had also wanted to be a war journalist, being on the front line, ‘getting an unfiltered account of what’s going on in these places’.

  That month – November – Michael was the cover of GQ, which carried an interview with him. In it he was a little more outspoken about his private life than normal, saying that he liked the idea of settling down and raising a family but thought it would be difficult for a partner to cope with the demands of his job. ‘I’m quite a romantic person and I love the idea of having a family but I’d have to take a step back out of this,’ he said. ‘It’s not fair on somebody to be waiting for you. You spend long periods of time apart and then when I am here [in the UK] I am working. I find it difficult to do both and to give that other person the right amount of attention and time they deserve.’

  He conceded, too, that actors don’t have a reputation for staying faithful. ‘I don’t think it’s a cliché. You’re travelling around a lot and perhaps lonely and you want some kind of connection again. You’re in a position where people treat you differently. They are living what appears to be an attractive lifestyle. Your opportunities are multiplied again, so there’s a buffet of choice.’

  Asked what he looks for in a woman, he replied, ‘Intelligence, self-confidence in one’s own skin. If a girl is slightly overweight or, you know, if she’s comfortable in herself, living life the way she wants to live it, I find that sexy an
d attractive. If somebody is the perfect mould but she’s not enjoying herself, I find it sad and unsexy.’

  On 2 December, Michael collected yet another trophy – the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Actor – and then it was the turn of the Moet Independent British Film Awards. The 2011 event took place on 4 December at Old Billingsgate in London and the stars in attendance included Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Craig, Benedict Cumberbatch, Charles Dance, Gemma Arterton, Dominic Cooper, Emilia Fox, Kenneth Branagh and the American director, Ron Howard. Shame was nominated in six categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress, but only Michael was victorious on the night when he was voted Best Actor for his performance as Brandon.

  Michael was being tipped for Academy Awards success too so he was delighted to be among the nominees for the Golden Globes –traditionally the weathervane for the Oscars – when they were announced on 14 December. In the Best Actor (Drama) category he was up against George Clooney for The Descendents, Brad Pitt for Moneyball, Leonardo DiCaprio for J.Edgar and Ryan Gosling for The Ides Of March.

  The news capped a brilliant year for Michael, who returned home to Fossa just before Christmas to see his family and friends. Josef and Adele had retired from running the West End House restaurant and it was now under new management but, accompanied by his parents, he popped in to say hello to everyone and to pose for some photographs, including one of him pulling a pint of Guinness behind the bar. A large poster of Hunger, signed by Michael and the cast, now hangs on one of the walls. Michael also enjoyed a drink with some old friends in The Laurels pub, where he received a lot of good-natured ribbing about Shame.

  Although Michael was now living in London, he still thought of Ireland as his natural home because it was where he grew up. He still feels comfortable there, so he usually returns three times a year. Christmas time and Easter – he and Josef have birthdays in April – are two periods he aims for. And he can always expect some mickey-taking from his family and friends over his diluted Irish accent.

  Early in January 2012 Michael, rather jaded from the treadmill of movie publicity and the revelries of the Christmas and New Year festivities, flew to the Hawaiian island of Oahu for some fresh air. And being the thrill seeker he is, he felt the best way to do this was to parachute from a plane. He was strapped to the instructor as the plane flew over the island and after they jumped out they free-fell for 50 seconds, which he later described as ‘the most amazing rush. You’re free falling and your brain is saying, “What are you doing?” Once the canopy opens, he unhooks certain things and you drop down a bit. It’s a crazy feeling to jump out of an airplane and land on the ground.’

  The month of January saw his fan base swell when he appeared bare-chested, sitting on a bed, on the cover of the Hollywood Reporter. Then it was back to the round of awards ceremonies and movie publicity and more personal accolades as he had to make even more room on his shelves for awards.

  The National Board of Review Awards at the Cipriani, 42nd Street in New York, attracted the cream of showbiz talent, including George Clooney, Martin Scorsese, Emma Stone, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Daniel Radcliffe. At the ceremonies, Scorsese’s animated children’s film Hugo, about an orphaned boy living in Paris, was named Best Film and he also picked up Best Director. In a standout year for George Clooney, he was awarded Best Actor, with Tilda Swinton winning Best Actress and Christopher Plummer Best Supporting Actor.

  The Spotlight award, honouring the year’s most prolific actor, went to Michael, who was presented with his trophy by his co-stars Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. From the stage, Keira addressed Michael in the audience with the comment, ‘If I had to be spanked by anybody, I’m glad it was by you.’ And Carey remarked that the most-used adjective to describe Michael’s work over the past year had been ‘fearless’.

  In his acceptance speech, Michael humbly said that he always felt like an interloper at events like this. By now used to jokes about his nudity, he added, ‘I had to bare all in order to get here. When all else fails, I take my clothes off.’

  Next up was the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, where he won Best Actor for his ‘2011 Body of Work’. Meanwhile, cinema audiences were getting the chance to see Shame. Most critics raved about it in some of the best reviews that the team could have hoped for.

  ‘For Fassbender, it is a brilliant piece of work,’ said the Daily Telegraph. ‘Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan give dynamite performances,’ said the Guardian. ‘Completely unself-conscious about the full-frontal nudity and graphically simulated sex acts required of him, the actor peels back layers of lust and self-loathing to become a consummate vessel for the director’s intentions,’ gushed Variety. ‘Even when he says nothing, which is most of the time, Fassbender transfixes.’

  ‘Michael Fassbender bares all – and then some – in a riveting performance as a Manhattan sex addict spiralling out of control,’ said the New York Post. ‘Stark, explicit and at times shocking, British director Steve McQueen’s powerful and beautifully made drama features a stunning lead performance by actor-of-the-moment Michael Fassbender,’ opined the Sunday Mirror. ‘A powerhouse of a performance from Fassbender,’ the Sun concurred.

  ‘Michael Fassbender delivers a bold and brilliantly immersive performance as a sex addict in Shame. He is so raw and riveting you won’t be able to take your eyes off him,’ said Rolling Stone. ‘Fassbender is the full package in a carnal drama that spares no blushes and pulls no punches,’ said Total Film.

  But some critics were put off by the subject matter and seediness of it all. ‘Shame is a giant yawn that proves once again that sex as a cinematic subject is one colossal turn-off,’ asserted the Daily Express. Its fellow ‘middle England’ newspaper, the Daily Mail, also swam against the tide: ‘While Shame has style to spare, it isn’t as well-written, entertaining, or as socially and sexually aware as it pretends to be.’

  Having flown to LA for The Golden Globes, Michael was delighted to spot fellow Irishman Brendan Gleeson on the red carpet. The two actors warmly embraced each other and posed for photographs as the guests made their way into the Beverly Hilton for the event, hosted for the second year running by Ricky Gervais.

  The silent black and white film, The Artist, had received the greatest number of nominations – six – and scooped three awards on the night – Best Film (Musical or Comedy), Best Actor (for its French star Jean Dujardin) and Best Score. It was now hotly tipped for Oscar success the following month.

  The Descendents, starring George Clooney as a Hawaiian lawyer attempting to reconnect with his daughters, was named Best Film (Drama) and George also pipped Michael to the Best Actor (Drama) award. But in his acceptance speech George put Michael in the spotlight with a jokey reference to Shame. ‘I would like to thank Michael Fassbender for taking over the frontal nude responsibly that I had,’ he quipped, to much amusement from the audience. ‘Really, Michael, honestly, you can play golf like this with your hands behind your back,’ he continued, rocking from side to side with his hands behind him. ‘Go for it, man. Do it!’

  At the Fox after-party, where the studio boss Rupert Murdoch held court, Michael puffed on a giant cigar. But talk of a possible Oscar nomination made him fidgety. ‘It would just be a bonus but of course I would take my mom down the red carpet,’ he said with a smile.

  January 2012 also saw the release of Haywire, which encountered mixed reviews. Some were happy just to sit back and soak up the kick-ass action from Gina Carano but others thought it lacked the punch of, for example, the Bourne movies. With Gina the undoubted star of the movie – Michael having made only a relatively brief if crucial appearance – she received most of the attention.

  Most reviews agreed that the movie passed the action test. ‘This isn’t just the best action film since Bourne, it also exudes the sort of flair and cool of a 1960s Bond movie. A class act,’ enthused the Daily Mirror. ‘A breath
less, bone-crunching espionage thriller distinguished by its female protagonist, Mallory Kane, played by mixed-martial-arts star Gina Carano,’ said the Daily Express.

  Thereafter praise seemed to concentrate on the director’s particular style. ‘Steven Soderbergh has mashed, fermented and distilled a range of familiar [1970s] revenge-movie tropes into a cask-strength action thriller, said the Daily Telegraph. ‘Only Steven Soderbergh could produce a slick, modern, cine-literate deconstruction of the Hollywood action caper that also manages to be a rollicking good ride,’ claimed Time Out London. ‘A fresh, muscular payback movie shot through with Soderbergh’s mischievous indie-spirit,’ was Empire’s take.

  The meandering plot, however, was a niggling concern. ‘Gina Carano is great beating up her co-stars but Steven Soderbergh’s thriller is a bit boring in-between,’ said the Guardian. ‘Haywire just isn’t thrilling,’ agreed the Daily Mail. ‘Less a tightly plotted action film than an excuse to showcase Carano’s substantial fighting skills,’ thought the Los Angeles Times. ‘A vigorous spy thriller that consistently beckons the viewer to catch up with its narrative twists and turns. Bordering on convoluted, it works best when in combat mode,’ said USA Today.

  In the end qualified praise seemed to be the overall verdict. ‘Hard, fast, brutal: Soderbergh’s sucker-punch return to action knows what it’s about. Not subtle or substantial but it gets to work with flab-free focus,’ stated Total Film. ‘A film like Haywire has no lasting significance but it’s a pleasure to see an A-list director taking the care to make a first-rate genre thriller,’ opined the Chicago Sun-Times.

  With the awards season still in full flow, it was back to London for the next one – the London Film Critics Circle Awards at The British Film Institute. Here Michael received yet another trophy – this time for British Actor of the Year – but there was criticism from some Irish newspapers that their talented actor was considered British. When asked about this, Michael light-heartedly dismissed the issue with the comment, ‘When I make a shit film, no one will want to claim me!’