✔ Q & A Michael Fassbender in Empire Magazine

(From the Empire Magazine Feb 2010 Review of Fish Tank-scans to come later. Issue also has behind the scenes of Summer movies, including Jonah Hex.)

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Michael Fassbender

The break-out star on am-dram, Tarantino, Killarney, and why his career is like diarrhea.

Its' been a whirlwind 12 months for the 32 year old actor-after last year's attention-grabbing two-hander of Eden Lake and Hunger, he bagged flashy roles in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and big-budget Western Jonah Hex. And in between all the explosions, he starred in Fish Tank. We caught up with Fassbender to find out where his head's at...

You had quite a 2009...

Michael: Tell me about it--I don't know how many times I pinched myself. Like on Basterds: "Holy s$#!, here I am being directed by Quentin Tarantino." When I was 18 I directed a stage play of Reservoir Dogs with my friends in a Killarney nightclub. I played Mr. Pink! I told him that when I first met him.

As well as QT, Josh Brolin and Sean Penn have sung your praises

Michael: Josh is a fun guy. He calls me Fassy...but yeah, it was Hunger that really started to introduce me to people within the industry. I met those two guys at the Toronto Film Festival when Hunger was showing. 300 helped too. So it all didn't happen overnight. Some people are like, "Fassbender's suddenly exploded!" It was more like lost of little explosions. Or diarrhea!

Josh Brolin recommended you for a plum part in Jonah Hex. What can you tell us about it?

Michael: I play a twisted mercenary who takes a lot of pleasure killing prostitutes. He likes to rob and rape, too. And he wears a bowler hat--which gave me the idea of playing him like Frank Gorshin, the 1970's Riddler. He's an evil f&#!, so luckily I also have a good guy role in Centurion to balance it out.

How does it feel to now be a player in the Hollywood big league?

Michael: You know, I like anonymity, being able to do a bit of work and then tootle down the street. So it's sad when that starts to go. That said, you just have to enjoy it. It's kind of widl. Liam Cunningham said to me when we were doing Centurion, "D'you ever think to yourself, 'I'm from Killarney?'" I hope I don't ever lose that feeling, 'cause it's a good feeling; the chancer who got into the room!

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