X-Men: First Class - Michael Fassbender Interview

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/116/1161582p2.html

by Chris Tilly
IGN UK

IGN: Was there a scene when you got the script that you were particularly excited to shoot?

Fassbender: For sure, but I don't want to give too much of the story away. There were two scenes. One's fairly early in the film, when you are introduced to him and he's on this sort of hunt. He's on a trail blaze of Nazi killing. He's trying to tighten the screws to pinpoint where Shaw is.

IGN: So is there any romance for Erik in this film?

Fassbender: You know, there are seeds of something there, but once again, he is so driven. He's blinkered. It's like, there is Shaw in his sights, and that is all he is really going for.

Erik Lehnsherr with the rest of the First Class team.

IGN: So what should we expect from Kevin Bacon as Shaw?

Fassbender: You've got an actor who finds the truth in everything he does and has just a wealth of experience. I don't know how many - 70-something films that he's done, you know? It's great to see that sort of person has survived in the business for so long and is really nice and easy to talk to and just wants to get the job done. Trying to find the truth in the scenes. Because that's the thing - it is a fantastical world but you want the illusion, the bubble, to remain intact as much as it can. I don't know if I'm explaining myself very well, but everything in the story is there for a reason. A component is not just there as filler - each thing is there to drive the next thing and interlink to maybe three scenes later. It's just trying to find those things within a scene... we work through each scene and figure out if there are any weak points or things that we really like and need to accentuate. And with the relationship between Charles and Erik - how do you get the best juices out of that relationship?

IGN: Do you have a similar teacher/pupil relationship with the younger mutants as Charles does?

Fassbender: That is mainly Charles's area. He is a real giver, and we toyed around that Charles has maybe quite a big ego to think that he is worthy to do this, with Cerebro [X-Men device which detects other mutants]. Maybe these mutants don't want to be found. It's quite an assumption that they do want to be uncovered and that he has the strength to lead them and teach them.

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr

IGN: What does Erik think of this?

Fassbender: I think he's also very happy to find out that there are other mutants out there. Again, the cogs are working in the back of his head. Like 'I do eventually need to get my army together. There are other mutants that can help me now.' Because I think his idea changes from what starts off as being a mission to get one man into a bigger plan to actually rid the earth of human beings and take over.

IGN: So would you like to continue to tell Erik's story in future films?

Fassbender: At the moment I am just aware that there could be number two and three. I guess it depends on how much money number one makes. But if that does happen, I definitely would like to get in at the ground level to discuss things and get together with the writers. I really enjoy that.

IGN: So what will set this film apart from all the other superhero movies hitting this summer?

Fassbender: It's going to be the best. What else is out there?

IGN: Well you've got Captain America and Green Lantern.

Fassbender: Yeah, forget both of them... I'm just kidding. I mean, I don't really know either of those worlds. But like you said, it's got the Civil Rights element. The idea of mutants and humans and this element of fear, realising 'Sh*t, we'd better wipe them out before they wipe us out.' There is a lot of interesting things about the human condition and human behaviour to be explored with X-Men, and I don't know if you can find that in either of those two other films.

X-Men: First Class is released globally at the start of June, and we'll feature an extended interview with producer Bryan Singer next week.