Michael Fassbender is the picture of addiction in ‘Shame’

It's been a decade since German-born, Irish-raised Michael Fassbender first gained notice as Sgt. Christenson in the TV miniseries “Band of Brothers.” Now he’s all over the place. This year alone he has been or will be seen as Rochester in “Jane Eyre”; Magneto in “X-Men: First Class”; Carl Jung in “A Dangerous Method,” which hits local theaters Dec. 23; and an out-of-control sex addict in “Shame,” opening Friday, Dec. 9.

   Make that a wildly out-of-control sex addict who has found some sort of order in what society would call his depraved life, but who comes up against disorder when he’s visited by his troubled younger sister (Carey Mulligan).

   “Shame” tells his story, hints at hers and shows what happens when the two clash. Fassbender, who took the Best Actor award at this year’s Venice Film Festival for his role as Brandon in the film, spoke about the character and, naturally, sex, at the Toronto Film Festival. His clothing style was dressed-down T-shirt and leather jacket; his accent was strongly Irish. He got right into his character’s affliction and why it might be unavoidable.

   “Sex is such a primal instinct,” he said. “Obviously it was originally there in order for us to survive, to procreate and recreate and not go extinct. As we’ve developed, or not, we arrive at a place where people realize it is so prevalent within the human race that people set about to make money out of it. So everywhere you go, sex is being sold to you in one way or another. Whether you’re buying a soda or a breakfast cereal, sex is being sold to you. You’re told what to wear or how much you should weigh or how you should look in order to be sexy, to be successful, to be accepted.”

   No doubt Fassbender has given the topic some thought. But he’s not so sure the general public has, and he hopes that people who come to see the quite-daring film are going to make some interesting, startling discoveries.

   “The topic is dealt with in a very serious and honest way in the film,” he said, before launching into an avalanche of explanation. “What makes it really special for me is that there’s still a place, contrary to many films being made today, for an intelligent, brave audience that can take chances, involve themselves in the film, ask questions – participate when they go to the cinema instead of just sitting there eating popcorn and being entertained, with that comfortable fourth wall in between the screen and the audience. They sort of step over that wall, and they’re in it, with Brandon and these other characters, experiencing and questioning themselves.”

   But acting in the film, going through the numerous sex scenes – with all sorts of people as well as with himself – wasn’t easy for Fassbender.

   “They were pretty uncomfortable,” he admitted. “It’s kind of embarrassing to be naked in front of a crew of people. But I knew what I was getting into, and you’ve got to get over it and just get on with it. The most important thing is that the story is getting told. The sex scenes weren’t a form of exploitation or titillation. It was really a study of this guy and his relationship with himself and with other people. It makes it a lot easier when it’s handled with such care, under the hands of Steve.”

   That would be Steve McQueen – the young British director, not the late actor – for whom Fassbender starred as Irish prison strike leader Bobby Sands in the 2008 film “Hunger.” Fassbender credits McQueen with helping him get into character in “Shame.”

   “I think great directors are great manipulators, and Steve is very good at doing that, in less obvious ways than just on set,” he said. “Whether we were having a lunch conversation or just taking a stroll around New York, we talked a lot. And then we had a very collaborative experience. It’s basically he gives me the tools to go about doing kind of what I want.

   “Working with Steve is like taking a chance,” he added after a pause. “If you fall flat on your face, what’s the worst that can happen? Let’s try and do something where risks are taken, where we work without the luxury of a safety net. You just don’t know. A lot of the times I think we each do a lot of preparation, individually, as well as together. Then we come on the set and we don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s having the freedom to be awake and aware on the set and allow things to happen.”

   McQueen, listening to Fassbender’s praise, accepted it, then gave the love right back.

   “It’s a little bit like jazz in a way,” McQueen said. “You write the music. You do the melody and the harmony. And within that form, within that piece of music, you can improvise. You can play within that space. I don’t hire robots, I hire actors. It’s just like hiring great players, and Michael’s a great, great player.”