Michael Fassbender

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#2,447
Shame – Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender

“Shame” is the haunting new film from director Steve McQueen, giving an unflinching account of one man’s spiraling descent into sex addiction in New York. Michael Fassbender (reunited with McQueen following “Hunger”, 2008) plays protagonist Brandon Sullivan whose addiction threatens to derail his entire life, while his situation is complicated by the arrival of his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) who imposes herself – along with her own troubles – on him for an extended stay. With his work life made difficult by a sleazy boss (James Badge Dale as David) and a mesmerising work colleague (Nicole Beharie as Marianne) offering possible normality, “Shame” is a fearless exploration of 21st Century desires, failings, obsessions and relationships that includes graphic scenes of sex (including eye-watering full frontal nudity from Fassbender) that have caused quite the stir amongst critics and viewers alike. Joining the director and main star in London, Wonderland begins with light conversation before moving onto the films darker content.

We read that the budget for this film was $6.5 million US dollars. How much of that budget went into creating the screen-filling CGI penis?
[Pause followed by laughter]
Michael – All of the budget! I think we had point five left to make the film.
Steve – We thought we’d do 3D but that would have been way too expensive.
Michael – [laughs]
Steve – There was a funny story, there was this woman who said “I have seen your film literally about fifteen times” and I said “Why?” and she goes “I’m someone who goes to the movies with the blind and so I have to describe it to them” and I said “Really?!” and she said “yes!”. I don’t know if she had to describe Michael’s penis but let’s not go there!

The film addresses the very serious topic of sex addiction. What was it that attracted you to this subject?
Steven – The idea that someone could get so addicted to something that was so intimate but actually did not want the intimacy – the paradox of that was fascinating to me. Just talking to [script writer] Abi Morgan [Sex Traffic, The Iron Lady] about it, it was interesting to investigate what a sex addict is and once we delved into it, we saw the evidence of how serious and devastating it is. It’s similar to drug addiction or alcohol addiction and it really does take a toll on someone’s life.
Michael – Of course this is something that should be looked at and should be pretty relevant and contemporary to today but nobody had talked about it in a film. It just seemed really obvious that this is something that is worth investigation. [Having worked together on Hunger] I knew I was going to be in the best of hands and it was going to be dealt with accordingly, uncompromisingly and also respectfully.

How did you go about researching for the film?
Steven – We couldn’t get an “in”, as such, in London as people wouldn’t speak to us. It’s almost like when people were diagnosed with HIV in the early 80s, it’s a situation where there is a stigma to sex and people don’t want to speak – especially to the media. So we had to go to New York and speak to an expert in the field who in turn introduced us to addicts and former addicts and it was one of those situations that through those conversations and research that we got an idea of what it was to be a sex addict and make very close relationships with people who were, or are, sex addicts.

What were the more shocking things that you discovered?
Steven – Certain things were worse than in the film, of course. I mean you can imagine someone being locked in a room for 72 hours, looking at porn and masturbating all day.
Michael – I think the most affecting or disturbing thing is the sense that – whatever the addiction – it’s a loss of control. The fact that a guy can’t get through the day without masturbating in the bathroom at work and he’s surfing the internet and dragging up these porn sites on his work computer – he’s not an idiot, he knows he’s going to get caught doing it, but he can’t help himself. The choice has been taken away because the condition has taken over. That for me is what’s most disturbing.

We left the cinema feeling a little depressed about the state of the characters in the film – are they all hopeless? Brandon is an addict, Sissy clearly has her own troubles and then Brandon’s boss –
Steve – I think Marianne is a symbol of hope and she is quite healthy. Sissy and Brandon come from the same place. And David is a bit of a jerk.
Michael – The fact that Brandon is someone who is aware of his condition, that’s already hopeful and he’s trying.
S – It’s a difficult world and I’m not making Walt Disney pictures here. If you want to see a happy ending go and see any of those American movies that are probably being put up for an Academy Award right now. I’m trying to make a movie about real life – which is not easy sometimes for people who have certain kinds of conditions – but what is admirable about [Brandon] is that he is a likeable person and he’s trying. Not everyone is Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, you know what I mean?

Has making this film had any impact on your own sex lives?
Michael – Very much so. It’s kind of made me appreciate the relationships that I have been in and that I like intimacy. It had never kind of occurred to me that this could be a condition and to see how devastating it can be having met people –I feel grateful. I feel lucky.
Steve –You do come away feeling very lucky. But they say you are always just one drink away.
 
#2,448
Ejm1059 said:
Celeb**chy:
i live in paris, and am a musician and well,a musician with a modicum of celebrity, so i can get into private clubs.
tonight old fassie was in a private club out here and all you need to know is this, yes you have a shot( he is a dancing machine, seriously not always on beat but he jams nonetheless)
i don’t doubt that he has dated all sorts of women, however last night it was all about the darker ladies one in particular, whom he spent most of the night dry humping on the dance floor, which i must say was creepy really really creepy and awkward for the rest of us.
his energy was anything but sexy. its was predatory and intense. he is one tiny fireball.
i am officially off the fassdong train. more for you ladies.
Click to expand...

I also saw a comment on some youtube video saying that he was with someone while in LA, but that it was probably over because they saw the woman with someone else recently. So yeah... The internet is full of gossip. I confess to being curious and nosy :laugh: , but also take everything with a grain of salt.

RE that new interview posted by Penny_Lane... You know what I find strange? He seems to be really private regarding his life (it said something to the effect that he was unattached but that he wouldn't state otherwise if he wasn't - too lazy to get the actual quote now :cool:), but during the time he was with Zoe he mentioned "his girlfriend was flying in from the states" in one interview and there was that famous Vogue (I think) article where she just showed up. Perhaps he learned his lesson with that?

Oh, and thanks mustard_stain and Penny Lane for answering my question RE the french interview. Penny Lane, you mentioned he left the interview a bit ****ed off. I gotta say, he handled it quite well. It must take a lot of patience to sit through these annoying questions... I don't think I'd be able to do it!
 
#2,449
An excerpt from a Wonderland interview:

http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2012/01/shame-steve-mcqueen-and-michael-fassbender/

We read that the budget for this film was $6.5 million US dollars. How much of that budget went into creating the screen-filling CGI penis?
[Pause followed by laughter]
Michael – All of the budget! I think we had point five left to make the film.
Steve – We thought we’d do 3D but that would have been way too expensive.
Michael – [laughs]
Steve – There was a funny story, there was this woman who said “I have seen your film literally about fifteen times” and I said “Why?” and she goes “I’m someone who goes to the movies with the blind and so I have to describe it to them” and I said “Really?!” and she said “yes!”. I don’t know if she had to describe Michael’s penis but let’s not go there!
Click to expand...

The thing about Nicole's shoes is that they look really comfortable despite their height, which is good for petite/short women (like me). They look like perhaps Seychelles brand. Ejm, care to share the brand?
 
#2,451
He has become much more private now then he use to be ( he's learning early :P ) I remember last year he talked about spending Valentines Day with a special person (which many assumed was Zoe) Honestly, he got so much flack for dating her, I can totally see why he's keeping quiet. He's becoming more established, and who wants to be known for the women you date? It's nobodys business. The days of chatting about his girlfriends is over.

Oh, and the shoes are Aldo. I'm going to the store today and seeing if they have them in stock. I'm short and petite as well so I hope they will look good (and make me look taller)
 
#2,452
New Interview :reading:

In a year that has seen you starring in X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre, Haywire and Shame, was Shame the most challenging role for you?

Michael Fassbender: Yeah, I think so. It was the fifth film out of six films in 20 months, so I was really going into it, I guess, somewhat tired [smiles]. I also went into it pretty intensely. I think it was eight weeks all in all... three weeks pre-production, five weeks filming and I lived pretty closely and intensely with the project and the character for that time. So, obviously you're dealing with somebody who doesn't really hold himself in very high esteem; in fact, he doesn't like himself very much. So, he's punishing himself quite a bit. And that can take its toll [smiles again].

What did you think when you first read the material? It's obviously very different from Hunger, your first film with Steve McQueen...

Michael Fassbender: Yeah, the first time he mentioned it to me was in 2006 and it seemed very obvious to me. I was like, 'Of course, that would be the right story to tell and the right subject matter to investigate'. It seems to be a very relevant story and a very contemporary story, so he told me the idea and it was two years later that I actually got a script. I'd already agreed to be a part of it. So, then when I did get the script I was just taken aback by how beautifully the story was told and how eloquently and respectfully and [what] a real true insight into this condition [it gave].

Did you ever have to think twice about some of the more graphic sexual content?

Michael Fassbender: It wasn't a question for me, no. There's always a choice, of course, but I'd made my decision and once I make that decision it's about committing to it really and making sure that I don't drop the ball and I hold up my end of the bargain. So, that's really where the fear element is. Of course, you realise you're going to be doing some pretty intimate stuff in front of the camera but my main fear is that I could manage to bring [to life] this living, breathing character that's believable and respectful and true to the story. The rest, then, is about getting on with it and committing to it.

Was one of the main attractions the nature of the material and sexual addiction and the fact that it's not something we see very often discussed on-screen?

Michael Fassbender: Yeah absolutely. I mean there are films like Carnal Knowledge, I suppose, that have touched on it... Addiction, The Man With The Golden Arm, these various films. But in recent times, for sure, nobody seemed to be dealing with it. It seemed to be in the media, in and around people's consciousness but nobody seemed to be tackling it. So, that's why it seemed to me to be an obvious thing to approach, look at and investigate because it is real, it is happening and a large, large number of people claim to be suffering from it. And at the same point it's not officially recognised as a disorder or an addiction, so I thought there was definitely enough there to make it worth investigating and a worthwhile subject that could at least pose some questions and provoke some thought and reaction.

How did your own attitude towards sex addiction change over the course of making the film?

Michael Fassbender: I suppose at the beginning you think, 'Oh well, what is it really? Is it real?' For sure, those were the questions I thought of first but then you start to research and you get to meet people and then it becomes really real very quickly and pretty heavy. You then start to see how many lives really get devastated by it. And then for me there's no question that it is a real disorder and one that should be taken very seriously.

Do you think the easy availability of pornography makes it easier for people to indulge their addiction and harder to overcome?

Michael Fassbender: I think it's definitely an element. If you look at some case studies I was looking at, or scenarios... there was a guy who would lock himself into a room for 72 hours and continually masturbate over Internet pornography but couldn't have sex with his partner. I thought: 'Wow, that's a very bizarre thing but a very real thing.' I took it very seriously very quickly I suppose once I started looking into it.

How did you manage to get the real-life sex addict you spoke to as part of your research to open up to you?

Michael Fassbender: I think it's very difficult when you're talking to somebody like that [because] you're trying to essentially extract information out of them. So, by asking them direct questions it's not really so effective... people tend to be on guard a little bit more. So, I just asked him to tell me stories and from those stories I could get an idea of where certain motivations were born within a personality like that and how somebody suffering from this condition actually deals with it in the situation. It's how it manifests itself physically, where even the idea of an embrace is something you want to squirm your way out of. So, that helped me get a physical life for that inner life, if you like. It really helped meeting somebody. And then I just worked a lot with the script.

Where does the line between addiction and a man's fascination with sex begin and end? At what point do you cross the line into addiction?

Michael Fassbender: For me, addiction comes down to basically where a pattern of behaviour has developed and that pattern of behaviour is becoming a very damaging cycle. It's damaging your relationships, friends or lovers, it's damaging your own personal health and it's damaging for you and your workplace. So, those things combined and the knowledge of that and yet it's still very, very difficult for the individual, if not close to impossible, to break that pattern. That, for me, is addiction. If a guy is sitting in his office and can't get through the day... it's all encompassing. Yes, men think about sex a lot. I know that. I'm a man. There's things that you can relate to from Brandon. But it's the extremes... it's the fact that it's all encompassing; all his compulsions are revolving around his relationship with sex. He's not a stupid guy but when he's on his computer he knows that searching Internet porn on his work computer is a dangerous thing to do but he can't get through a day in the office without relieving himself, masturbating, so it's not only masturbating once a day, but 20 times a day. It's when the balance tips, like anything else in life, in a direction that's damaging. You have someone in Brandon who is engaging in these very physical and intimate acts but without any real gratification, or any real enjoyment, and no intimacy.

How has your relationship with Steve evolved since making Hunger together? And how does that compare with other directors you've recently worked with such as Ridley Scott or Steven Soderbergh?

Michael Fassbender: Yeah, you work with masters of their craft and all of the people that I have been working with that can be said for them. I suppose with Steve we met at a crossroads in both of our lives with Hunger. It was an opportunity that was amazing for me to play a lead role in such a demanding piece and be allowed to show some possibility within the profession of what I could bring to it... my capability. And so that changed my life and together we were very passionate about what we were doing. It was his first feature film, so there was an air of fear for him too. But I think we have chemistry and it became a very strong bond very quickly. After Hunger, once the foundations were laid, I was worried and I had fear that hopefully we'd find that work rate again in Shame and that understanding of one another, that passion of searching for the same goal. And it happened like that... it was almost like walking off Hunger and walking onto the set of Shame. So, it's great. I really have to thank Steve for everything really.
 
#2,454
In 4 days he will be attending the 69th Golden Globes ceremony (don't worry ;)). It would be ungrateful (and nuts) to not show up at the event and it's the first time he ever got a nod, he'll be there. I look forward to funny uncomfortable Ricky Gervais jokes:giggles:

"To be honest with you, I'd be lying if I said the prospect of being number one among the company I'm in doesn't excite me. I will also say that I can't sit around going 'what is the possibility of an Oscar?' Then it's a little bit like Gollum and Precious. And the prospect of awards for the film is a big deal, especially for a film like this. It gives a validation to the subject matter which other people might be deterred from because they think it is something else. To be in the position that I'm in now is the highest that I could possibly hope to achieve." - Michael Fassbender

http://theuniblog.evilspacerobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/tumblr_loq3tnwhgo1qzlfumo1_500.jpg :partyhat:

http://www.infinitydish.com/tvblog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ricky-gervais-gg-2012-e1325867176410.png :supacool:
 
#2,455
Ricky Gervais' Funniest and rudest Golden Globes Jokes :couch: :lolots:


About Charlie Sheen:
" It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking - or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast. Wow, so let's get this straight, so what he did was, he picked up a porn star, paid her to have dinner with him, introduced her to his ex-wife - as you do - went to a hotel, got drunk, got naked, trashed the place while she was locked in a cupboard, and that was a Monday. What does he do on New Year's Eve?

About 'The Tourist' (Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp are in the audience):
" It was a big year for 3D movies: 'Toy Story', 'Despicable Me', 'Tron'... It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in 'The Tourist'. I already feel bad about that joke. I tell you what, I'm jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven't even seen 'The Tourist'. Who has? But it must be good because it's nominated, so shut up, OK? And I'd like to crush this ridiculous rumor that the only reason 'The Tourist' was nominated was so that the foreign press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That was not the only reason; they also accepted bribes."

About Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Will Smith:
" Also not nominated, 'I Love You Phillip Morris', with Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey, two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay - the complete opposite of some famous Scientologists then. Probably? My lawyers helped me with the wording of that joke. They’re not here..."

About Bruce Willis:
Introducing him as " Our next presenter is known for such films as 'Hudson Hawk', 'Look Who’s Talking', 'Mercury Rising', 'Color of Night', 'The Fifth Element', 'Hart’s War'... Please welcome Ashton Kutcher’s dad, Bruce Willis."

About Robert Downey Jr.:
Introducing him as " I love this next presenter, he’s so cool. He’s the star of 'Iron Man', 'Two Girls And A Guy', 'Wonderboys'… I’m sorry are these porn films? 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?', 'Bowfinger?', 'Up The Academy?' Come on ! He has done all of those films but many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as The Betty Ford Clinic (rehab center) and the Los Angeles County Jail. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome, Robert Downey Jr."

About Jorge Garcia, who played Hurley on 'Lost':
" One of the biggest TV events of the year was the finale of 'Lost'. It was quite a complicated finale, and I'm not sure I understood it all. From what I can make out, the fat one ate them all."

About the 'Sex and the City 2' female cast:
" There were a lot of big films that didn't get nominated this year, nothing for 'Sex and the City 2'. No, I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster. Girls, we know how old you are. I even saw one of you in an episode of 'Bonanza'."

About Cher (in the audience):
" 'Do you want to go and see Cher?’ ‘No.’ ‘Why not?’ ‘Because it’s not 1975 anymore.' "

About Hugh Hefner (in the audience):
" There's been some great new TV dramas this year, like 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Walking Dead'. Talking of the walking dead, congratulations to Hugh Hefner, who is getting married at age 84 to 24-year-old beauty Crystal Harris. When asked why she was marrying him, she said, 'He lied about his age. I thought he was 94.' Calm down: just don't look at it when you touch it" (with helpful suggestive gestures from Gervais on stage).

About "ungrateful" Steve Carell and 'The Office' (walking on stage):
" He's now leaving that show and killing a cash cow for both of us. Well done Steve."

About Tom Hanks and Tim Allen:
Introducing them as: " What can I say about our next two presenters? The first is an actor, producer, writer and director whose movies have grossed $3.5 billion. The other is Tim Allen."


Go get 'em, Ricky :rofl:
:urock:
 
#2,456
chicaloca said:
He doesn't seem to be attending any of lead-up events to the Golden Globes so far. I hope he manages to show up at the actual ceremony.
Click to expand...

Just got back from a screening of Shame with a Q&A with Steve and Abi. The Q&A was broadcast live to 68 cinema's in England, Scotland and Ireland, which was pretty cool. Steve was hilariously blunt as usual. I love this guy.
Michael didn't attend tonight's event, because apparently he's doing re-shoots this week. My guess is he's over at Pinewood studios for Prometheus, but I could be wrong.
 
#2,457
Penny_Lane_ said:
Ricky Gervais' Funniest and rudest Golden Globes Jokes :couch: :lolots:


About Charlie Sheen:
" It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking - or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast. Wow, so let's get this straight, so what he did was, he picked up a porn star, paid her to have dinner with him, introduced her to his ex-wife - as you do - went to a hotel, got drunk, got naked, trashed the place while she was locked in a cupboard, and that was a Monday. What does he do on New Year's Eve?

About 'The Tourist' (Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp are in the audience):
" It was a big year for 3D movies: 'Toy Story', 'Despicable Me', 'Tron'... It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in 'The Tourist'. I already feel bad about that joke. I tell you what, I'm jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven't even seen 'The Tourist'. Who has? But it must be good because it's nominated, so shut up, OK? And I'd like to crush this ridiculous rumor that the only reason 'The Tourist' was nominated was so that the foreign press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That was not the only reason; they also accepted bribes."

About Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Will Smith:
" Also not nominated, 'I Love You Phillip Morris', with Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey, two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay - the complete opposite of some famous Scientologists then. Probably? My lawyers helped me with the wording of that joke. They’re not here..."

About Bruce Willis:
Introducing him as " Our next presenter is known for such films as 'Hudson Hawk', 'Look Who’s Talking', 'Mercury Rising', 'Color of Night', 'The Fifth Element', 'Hart’s War'... Please welcome Ashton Kutcher’s dad, Bruce Willis."

About Robert Downey Jr.:
Introducing him as " I love this next presenter, he’s so cool. He’s the star of 'Iron Man', 'Two Girls And A Guy', 'Wonderboys'… I’m sorry are these porn films? 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?', 'Bowfinger?', 'Up The Academy?' Come on ! He has done all of those films but many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as The Betty Ford Clinic (rehab center) and the Los Angeles County Jail. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome, Robert Downey Jr."

About Jorge Garcia, who played Hurley on 'Lost':
" One of the biggest TV events of the year was the finale of 'Lost'. It was quite a complicated finale, and I'm not sure I understood it all. From what I can make out, the fat one ate them all."

About the 'Sex and the City 2' female cast:
" There were a lot of big films that didn't get nominated this year, nothing for 'Sex and the City 2'. No, I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster. Girls, we know how old you are. I even saw one of you in an episode of 'Bonanza'."

About Cher (in the audience):
" 'Do you want to go and see Cher?’ ‘No.’ ‘Why not?’ ‘Because it’s not 1975 anymore.' "

About Hugh Hefner (in the audience):
" There's been some great new TV dramas this year, like 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Walking Dead'. Talking of the walking dead, congratulations to Hugh Hefner, who is getting married at age 84 to 24-year-old beauty Crystal Harris. When asked why she was marrying him, she said, 'He lied about his age. I thought he was 94.' Calm down: just don't look at it when you touch it" (with helpful suggestive gestures from Gervais on stage).

About "ungrateful" Steve Carell and 'The Office' (walking on stage):
" He's now leaving that show and killing a cash cow for both of us. Well done Steve."

About Tom Hanks and Tim Allen:
Introducing them as: " What can I say about our next two presenters? The first is an actor, producer, writer and director whose movies have grossed $3.5 billion. The other is Tim Allen."


Go get 'em, Ricky :rofl:
:urock:
Click to expand...
:laugh::lolots::happydance::woot::yahoo::laugh::woohoo::roflmfao:

Thank you for posting these. Nearly ****ed myself!
I'm not a huge fan of Ricky Gervais, but man is good at taking the **** out of celebs.
 
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