Fassbender sees the light
Acclaimed actor plays a shell-shocked veteran of the Great War in film
NEW YORK — His peers want to act opposite him. Rookies revere him. Veterans marvel at his virtuosity. Say hello to the admired, celebrated and respected Michael Fassbender.
Certainly, his range is underscored by his Oscar nominations; for portraying a vile slave owner in 12 Years a Slave and defining Steve Jobs in the biopic of the Apple boss.
Later in the year, Fassbender showcases his adventurous nature by headlining the film version of the video game Assassin’s Creed. He also continues to enjoy the lucrative role of Magneto in the
X-Men franchise. That kind of payday allows the 39-year-old to accept the occasional independent project, such as The Light Between Oceans.
Based on M.L. Stedman’s bestselling novel, the movie features Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. He plays a shell-shocked veteran of the Great War who becomes a lighthouse keeper (Tom). Vikander portrays a lonely woman (Isabel) grieving the loss of her two soldier brothers.
They meet, marry and try unsuccessfully to have children. One day, Tom finds a shipwreck with a dead man and an infant. Tom initially wants to report the shipwreck, but Isabel convinces him that they should raise the child as their own. Adding to the moral dilemma: Tom learns that a local woman still mourns the loss of her husband and infant, who disappeared mysteriously.
Driving the bittersweet melodrama is the bond between Fassbender and Vikander who became a couple after the shoot.
“We had great chemistry from the beginning,” says Fassbender. “We relied on one another and pushed one another and supported one another, and that’s really the ideal scenario.”
They shared the same thespian style, as well.
“Between takes we would have a laugh, which I always think important, because all of us spend so much time working, we might as well have fun doing it,” he says.
The cast and crew needed the chuckles. Not only is the narrative sombre, they shot the picture in isolated locations around New Zealand, braving the raw elements as they did.
Especially challenging was Cape Campbell on the southern island of New Zealand.
“It’s very exposed and the wind just came howling there, so it’s really invigorating and also it made me realize why lighthouse keepers go crazy,” Fassbender says.
Mind you, there were some barbecues and get-togethers with the cast and crew but mostly, “We’d just crash because we always had to get up pretty early for first light.”
The rugged environment and the gruelling schedule helped Fassbender with his emoting, and so did learning about battle fatigue.
“My character has seen so much death and destruction in World War I, and he’d had his own portion to blame for that, so he decided he didn’t want to hurt anybody in his life ever again.”
All things considered, Fassbender says he feels they accomplished what they set out to do with The Light Between Oceans.
“In a way, it’s an old-fashioned human story about ordinary people trying to navigate life,” says the actor. “And there isn’t a clear sort of villain and good guy.”
Fassbender says his lighthouse keeper character did stay with him after the performance.
“I guess there’s always a bit of a residue, but I’ve been doing it for awhile,” he says. “I’ve developed a good way of turning off when I get home.”
If that doesn’t work, he has his straightforward friends keeping him in check when they say, “‘Oh, here he goes again obsessing over himself in these characters.’ ”
Meanwhile, back at the blockbuster part of his career, there is
Assassin’s Creed developed and produced by his production company. He also just wrapped Alien:
Covenant for director Ridley Scott.
Besides that, he’s signed to do an untitled Terrence Malick project, a drama called Trespass Against Us with Brendan Gleason and a thriller called The Snowman with Rebecca Ferguson.
Whatever he tackles, his priorities remain the same.
“The main things that I choose are the director and the script,” Fassbender says. “I boil it down to those two simple things because it keeps it simple for me.”