Michael Fassbender has admitted that he used to fantasise about being famous.
The 39-year-old grew up in Kerry before moving to London to pursue his acting career, and landed his first big break in an advert for Guinness.
“I used to fantasise about being famous, sure, but the more I see of the famous side of it, the more clarity I get about the work and what I want to do,” he said.
Famous: Michael admitted he used to fantasise about being famous but now he focuses more on work | 20TH CENTURY FOX
Despite his fame now, the Irish-German actor wasn’t an overnight success and worked tirelessly to advance in his career.
“The target was to work at the very highest level, but down the years it became clear to me I was not getting to that place,” he told the Irish Independent.
“Then I just thought, ‘Just get a living out of it’. I always told myself that I was good enough, at least, to be working. It’s a very common scenario to find yourself in as an actor, thinking it’s not going to happen.
“Those rejections can be tough. You’d think, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ I’d get feedback [in auditions] saying I was a little too eager, and then you think ‘Should I play it more cool?’ But I wasn’t that guy.
“At auditions, you have to do a meet and greet for a few minutes, and I always thought, ‘God, just let me do the piece’. If I did a good audition, I didn’t mind so much if I didn’t get hired.”
Friendly banter: The actor revealed that his friends think his fame is “nuts” | VIPIRELAND.COM
Michael also admitted that now that he has more time to himself, he makes the effort to come home to Ireland more often and mostly catches up with friends in Ireland, who think his acting career is “nuts.”
“I catch up with friends, usually. Lie on the sofa, which is always nice. Eat. Go for walks with my parents. I went for a surf last time and that was amazing. But mainly, it’s friends.
“They think it’s nuts. They don’t slag me off too much, no. It’s kind of strange – nothing really changes,” he added.
“If they come to a premiere and see that side of it, or if we go to a public event like the IFTAs, that can be quite intense. Other than that, we don’t dwell on what is it I’m doing. They have kids and families, and so we just catch up on life together.
“That’s the nice thing about it, the positive reaction when I come home. There’s often a banner outside Golden Nugget [a restaurant in Fossa] if ever I’m nominated for a [Golden] Globe or Oscar – ‘Michael, we’re all behind you!'”
