Fassbender: Story moved me to my core
Michael Fassbender plays his most romantic role yet in The Light Between Oceans as Tom Sherbourne, a veteran of the Great War who tries to regain his peace of mind as a lighthouse keeper in a remote part of Western Australia.
Based on a bestselling novel by M.L. Stedman, the story tells of how Tom meets Isabel (Alicia Vikander), a woman from the town across the harbour.
Tom finds solace in Isabel's vivaciousness and they fall in love and get married.
They can't seem to start a family till fate intervenes.
"I read the script and I thought wow, this is a real-life story," said the German-Irish actor.
"A lot of people could identify with this. An ordinary hard-working couple trying to have a family... What happens with miscarriage after miscarriage, and what happens to them as a couple.
"I just felt like there's not so many human stories out there at the moment. I'm part of X-Men and all these superhero franchises, but here's a story about real people dealing with real life. It just moved me to my core."
Fassbender met Vikander, who is now his girlfriend, at the Toronto International Film Festival a few years ago.
DANCE FLOOR
"We met on the dance floor. I thought I was not a bad dancer until I saw her dancing with her friend, both of them ex-ballerinas. And then I felt like I had two left legs," he said, laughing.
Fassbender said of Vikander's talent: "I was really impressed by her, straight off the bat.
"I'm noticing this a lot about female actors. I find they're braver and more prepared to possibly fall flat on their face.
"There is a fierceness to her as a performer and an absolute focus and determination."
The Oscar-nominated actor thinks fatherhood is something he wants to experience.
"I think it's a natural instinct to want to have something that is part of you, just to watch that sort of grow.
"And have grandchildren perhaps. It's a tough one. There's a lot of responsibility."
Fassbender mused on loneliness in life, especially that of an actor forever on the road.
He said: "I suppose just from the way that I work, I'm alone a lot.
"If I'm prepping something, that's two months I'll be spending a lot of that time solitary, just reading the script.
"If it requires learning an accent, doing that. Getting familiar with the character. So a lot of the time I'm sort of a lonely character, I suppose. What do I do to deal with it?
"I work." - MEHER TATNA
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