Michael Fassbender names his four favourite movies
When Michael Fassbender began his acting career, he managed to get incredibly lucky by landing his first job in Band of Brothers. The show, created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, saw him appear alongside a bunch of other budding British actors, like James McAvoy and Tom Hardy. Soon, this crop of young new stars would all go on to make it in Hollywood.
Fassbender cut his teeth in television for a few more years before landing his first movie role in 2007’s 300 by Zack Snyder. Yet, it was one year later that he truly received his big break after appearing as Bobby Sands in Hunger. The film saw him play the IRA member who went on a hunger strike, and as a result, he earned significant acclaim.
From there, he began landing roles in movies that would garner significant praise, like Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds, and Jane Eyre. By 2010, he had secured his role as Magneto in the X-Men franchise while also starring in movies like 12 Years A Slave, Steve Jobs, Alien: Covenant, and The Killer. It’s safe to say that Fassbender has a firm place in Hollywood, known for his work in highly popular media.
But what movies inspired him to become an actor? Talking to Letterboxd, he revealed his top four favourites, explaining, “For me, it’s always the ones that inspired me in my teens and late teens, which is, you know, when I decided that I wanted to get into this business.”
He began with a classic pick, The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The 1972 movie completely transformed cinema and remains a firm favourite for many filmmakers and actors. It contains some incredibly impressive performances from the likes of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, inspiring countless stars in its wake. It holds the status as one of the greatest movies of all time for good reason: The Godfather is a relentless and addictive epic tale that has laid the blueprint for Hollywood filmmaking ever since it was released.
He also selected Goodfellas, another gangster film that many people consider to be one of the best. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it came after the likes of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, but it was instantly held to incredibly high acclaim too, carrying on the legacy of crime movies like The Godfather. Fassbender didn’t elaborate on why he liked it so much, but it’s easy to see why such an expansive movie would attract the attention of a budding teenage cinephile.
Another epic in the form of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America also made it onto Fassbender’s list. The movie stars Robert De Niro, who also appeared in Goodfellas and The Godfather Part II – clearly, Fassbender likes classic movies featuring Hollywood icons. Leone’s film is another crime movie, which came as the third instalment in his Once Upon A Time trilogy. Like the aforementioned movies, Leone’s crime drama has also become a vital part of the gangster subgenre.
Finally, a comedy: The Big Lebowski. Adored by many, the Coen brothers-directed film is a staple of the genre, and it remains one of their best films. It blends humour and crime, with Jeff Bridges playing a typical slacker who soon gets sucked into a criminal world after a case of mistaken identity. It’s a great blend of the two genres, and if you’re not sitting on the edge of your seat while watching it, you’re probably laughing.
