Fassbender, who appears on THR's cover this week, and discusses shooting nude, being poor and whom his Oscar date would be, was photographed for THR by Brian Bowen Smith at Palihouse in West Hollywood on Jan. 14 wearing an A/X Armani Exchange T-shirt and jeans.
"I mean, how many times can you watch yourself, and especially with something like Shame," he tells THR of the film, in which he appears nude. "I had done the film so I was aware of what was in it, but the way they edited it, I kind of watched the last third like this," he says while partially covering his eyes with his fingers.
Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman and CEO Tom Rothman told THR, "Michael is a Heisman Trophy triple threat — a magnetic movie star, a supremely talented actor and a great guy."
Besides being an actor, the 34-year-old is also somewhat of an adrenaline junkie, recently sky diving over Oahu, HI. "It was the most amazing rush," he confessed to THR.
A little known fact about Fassbender? He loves to sing, and is known to break out in song while on set. According to a confidante, one of his standard tunes is "Regulate" by Warren G and Nate Dogg.
German-born, the actor was raised in the tourist town of Killarney, Ireland, but he considers himself "European, really," he says.
There was no time to feel too self-conscious when shooting Shame, says Fassbender. "We moved very fast. We shot it in 25 days, so I kind of had to get over it and get on with it," he tells THR.
When he was 19, Fassbender moved to London and attended the Drama Centre, living in a studio with a Brazillian female roommate and a big hole in the window. "It was so cold in the winter," he confides.
The versatile actor also appeared as Carl Jung in David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, alongside Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen. He used YouTube to study interviews of the psychiatrist that helped him develop the character.
Fassbender's big-budget bankability will be put to the test this summer with Prometheus, opening June 8. But, he's trying not to sweat the pressure. "I keep everything very simple," he reveals to THR.
The only project on the actor's upcoming slate is director Steve McQueen's next film, Twelve Years a Slave, which will start shooting in May. But, he tells THR he's also been talking to Martin Scorsese.