Michael Fassbender on making 'Macbeth': 'the Scottish film'

THE DENVER POST
By Jake Coyle AP Film Writer
POSTED:   05/22/2015 05:22:09 AM MDT




CANNES, France (AP) — Michael Fassbender doesn't know if the "Macbeth" curse carries over to movie adaptations, but he'd rather not test it.

"The Scottish film" is what Michael Fassbender calls his "Macbeth" adaption, which is set to premiere Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. He's maintaining the theatrical superstition of not speaking the name of Shakespeare's play — at least he wasn't in an interview ahead of the festival.

"Sometimes I say it, sometimes I don't," Fassbender said. "It depends on the day."

"Macbeth," usually referred to by the euphemism "the Scottish play" by actors wary of its legendary spell, will be the final film to screen in competition at Cannes. Directed by Australian director Justin Kurzel and co-starring Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, it has been eagerly awaited as the blood-soaked finale of the French Riviera festival, which concludes Sunday with the presentation of the Palme d'Or top prize.

Although interpreting Shakespeare is a traditional rite of passage for any British Isles actor of ambition, it wasn't a priority for Fassbender, the Oscar-nominated actor of "12 Years a Slave," ''Shame" and the "X-Men" films. The film marks the first entry into Shakespeare, on stage or screen, by the German-born, Ireland-raised Fassbender.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28169019/michael-fassbender-making-macbeth-scottish-film

Michael Fassbender's Hollywood superstardom showing no signs of slowing down

FANSHARE
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 28, 2014 20:40



There are a lot of hugely talented German-Irish man stars in the acting industry these days, with many of them considered some of the most sought after stars in Hollywood, taking on some of the biggest roles around. One of the biggest German stars in Hollywood right now, is the handsome actor Michael Fassbender, who has enjoyed a huge rise to Hollywood superstardom over the years.



Over the years, we have seen Michael Fassbender taking on some very impressive roles, in some very exciting movies, giving us some fantastic performances along the way. During the course of his career, we have seen Michael appearing in movies such as 300, Inglorious Basterds, X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, 12 Years a Slave, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Frank, to name just a few.

Michael Fassbender is far from finished yet though, as his Hollywood career is showing no signs of slowing down, with plenty of impressive movie roles coming in the next few years. Michael will appear in the movies Trespass Against Us, The Light Between Oceans, Slow West, Macbeth, and an untitled Terrence Malick project, which are all in production. Meanwhile, Fassbender will also appear in Irish Myths, Assassin's Creed, Prometheus 2, and X-Men: Apocalypse, which are all in development.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.fansshare.com/news/michael-fassbender-s-hollywood-superstardom-showing-no-signs-of-slowing-down/

Benedict Cumberbatch takes top TIFF prize

IRISH EXAMINER
September 15, 2014



A Second World War codebreaker drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch has won the top prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Director Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game claimed the coveted Grolsch People’s Choice Award.

Sherlock star Cumberbatch plays British codebreaker Alan Turing, alongside Oscar nominee Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode.

Three of the past six People’s Choice Award winners have gone on to win the Oscar for best picture, including The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire and last year’s victor, 12 Years A Slave. © Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

READ MORE HERE: http://www.irishexaminer.com/examviral/celeb-life/benedict-cumberbatch-takes-top-tiff-prize-286434.html

Are Naomi Campbell and Michael Fassbender DATING?

YAHOO CELEBRITY UK
By Nikki Barr | omg – Mon, Apr 7, 2014 11:44 BST


Michael Fassbender and Naomi Campbell are apparently dating. Copyright (Splash)

As if things couldn't get any worse than him already not being our boyfriend.

Michael Fassbender has broken our hearts after apparently being spotted snogging Naomi Campbell.

So not only are we not swapping spit him on a daily basis, he's instead doing the pants dance with a ruddy supermodel.

According to The Sun (damn them, DAMN THEM TO HELL), the pair were spotted kissing at club Coya in Mayfair last week.

A spy claimed to see the couple cordoned off in a 'VIP area' and were totally sucking face in front of the rest of the club.



Apparently, Naomi had spent the earlier part of the evening at a separate fashion event, where she was overheard telling pals about her date later that evening.

Michael was thought to be dating his 12 Years A Slave co-star, Lupita Nyong'o, although clearly not any more.

More recent rumours suggest he's been spending plenty of time with model Madalina Diana Ghenea, we can't TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS.


READ MORE HERE: https://uk.celebrity.yahoo.com/gossip/omg/michael-fassbender-dating-naomi-campbell-devastation-hits-us-hard-104408277.html

Benedict Cumberbatch: “I’d hate to think anyone is sick of the sight of me”

RADIO TIMES
Emma Daly
8:18 AM, 05 April 2014




Actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he hopes he’s not overexposed himself with the amount of roles he’s taken on. Yes, he realises that sounds dirty.

“I’d hate to think anyone is sick of the sight of me, although I wouldn’t blame them. It’s just crazy. I’ve overexposed myself! Actually that sounds a bit dirty,” Cumberbatch tells Adelaide’s The Advertiser.

“I’m proud of every single project. I can genuinely say that it is varied enough, as a slate, to not fear too much overexposure. I just hope the public agree because they are seeing a lot of me.”

Cumberbatch is undoubtedly hot property - although perhaps fans of Sherlock would be quick to suggest more of that on our screens wouldn’t go amiss.

But of course he’s a busy man. Star Trek, 12 Years A Slave and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug have all had Cumberbatch’s name on the cast list. But he seems to be having fun with it. The Oscars photobombing of U2 springs to mind. The actor admits, “It would be really churlish to complain about anything to be honest. I’m very fortunate to be in the position I’m in.”

READ MORE HERE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-04-05/benedict-cumberbatch-id-hate-to-think-anyone-is-sick-of-the-sight-of-me

Benedict Cumberbatch: ice driving in Finland (High Life Article)

HIGH LIFE
Benedict Cumberbatch wraps up in snowy Finland
Joe Windsor-Williams for High Life magazine
April 2014



Benedict Cumberbatch ditches his trademark detective's coat for thermals as he dares to cheat death driving on ice in central Finland. Gavin Green joins him

 The frozen lake we're standing on is speaking to us. It's a groaning, creaking voice, almost of pain, from way down deep in the icy abyss. 'Listen to that,' says Benedict Cumberbatch, dressed in a thick fur-collared jacket, black salopettes, chunky blue scarf, big snow boots, thick gloves and woolly hat. He looks more Scott of the Antarctic than Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street. 'It sounds absolutely magical,' he says, concentrating hard on the sound of the ice moaning beneath us, around us. There is no other sound. It's too cold for birds or people or animals, too isolated for traffic.

'The ice is quite solid, I assume?' asks Benedict, articulating what we're all thinking. We're about to power around this frozen lake in a range of Jaguar sports cars and nobody wants their F-Type to turn submarine. 'Quite solid,' says our Finnish instructor, Tomi. He shows us a contraption that measures ice thickness. 'It's 35cm,' he says reassuringly. (That's just over a foot.) 'Although maybe less thick in places.' (An unhelpful postscript.)

We're in southern central Finland taking part in a Jaguar winter-driving course. Alongside me is probably the biggest British TV or film star since Anthony Hopkins made Hannibal a cannibal or Colin Firth performed his royal stammer. In excess of 16 million Brits watched Benedict reappear as Sherlock Holmes for his third series on BBC1, making it the most-watched — and certainly best-loved — British TV drama in over a decade.

He's tall (6ft), ramrod straight, just 37, slim (though trying to bulk up for his next part as a mercenary in Blood Mountain), has a blemish-free and stubble-free complexion, ice-blue eyes and swept-back auburn brown hair — which was dyed black for Sherlock, blond for Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate.

It was Sherlock, of course, that made him a star. Since that first series in 2010, it's been nonstop. 'I've played so many characters so fast,' he tells me. 'I had a bank holiday weekend to transfer from Sherlock Holmes into Christopher Tietjens [in Parade's End].'

On the frozen lake, driving a fast car, Benedict applies himself with the customary concentration of Sherlock solving a murder mystery. 'I do take challenges seriously,' he admits. Tomi and a former Finnish female rally champion, Minna ('She's the fastest driver here,' says Tomi) show him how to steer, how to brake and how to accelerate, to get the Jaguar to dance on ice.

His enthusiasm and determination are as clear as the bright Arctic light. At first, he spins (we all do). Later, after some practice, he's powering and pirouetting around the Finnish ice lake, more Senna than Sherlock.

Cumberbatch's intensity comes as no surprise. You have to be committed and laser-focused, I guess, if you're going to morph convincingly from Sherlock Holmes to Stephen Hawking, from Vincent van Gogh to Julian Assange, from Frankenstein and the monster to Smaug the Dragon. He's been an aristocratic WWI army officer (in Parade's End and War Horse — he says he has the face for it), a secret agent (in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), a slave owner (12 Years a Slave) and a Star Trek arch-villain. He's been Pitt the Younger and Young Rumpole. He's even been on Sesame Street — 'one of the best fun things I've ever done'.

READ MORE HERE  :http://highlife.ba.com/Destinations/Benedict-Cumberbatch-ice-driving-in-Finland.html

Benedict Cumberbatch Will Star as HAMLET at the Barbican, Aug 2015

BROADWAY WORLD.COM
March 20, 2014



According to the Daily Mail, Benedict Cumberbatch as solidified his place as HAMLET in the West End. The Shakespearean drama will run at the Barbican Theatre, beginning in August 2015 and will be produced by Sonia Friedman and directed by Lyndsey Turner.

Cumberbatch's recent film roster includes The Fifth Estate, 12 Years a Slave, and August: Osage County with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. His upcoming projects include The Imitation Game, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Magik, The Penguins of Madagascar, Everest, The Lost City of Z and Flying Horse.

He is well known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the UK series "Sherlock". Other recent film credits include J.J. Abrams' Stark Trek Into Darkness.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Benedict-Cumberbatch-Will-Star-as-HAMLET-at-the-Barbican-Aug-2015-20140320#

Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio at the Lakers'Game, set, match (COSMOPOLITAN)

Two words. Double. Trouble. Two of our faves Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy are hanging out at a game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. Where was our invite?

 

http://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/celebrity/celebrity-gossip/2013/7/game-set-match/?index=0#gallery

Benedict Cumberbatch Steps Closer To Flying Horse June 17, 2013 Lauren Humphries-Brooks (WE GOT THIS COVERED)

Aside from having the greatest name ever, Benedict Cumberbatch has been doing pretty well for himself. He’s got a hit TV show and is making big strides into Hollywood, what with his role as the baddie in Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit films, The Fifth Estate, August: Osage County, and 12 Years A Slave. Everybody wants a piece of this guy, including his Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy co-star Gary Oldman, who we recently reported is interested in casting Cumberbatch in his biopic of film pioneer Eadweard Muybridge, entitled Flying Horse. Now it appears that Cumberbatch might very well be interested in that part.

The part Cumberbatch would be playing in Flying Horse is not Muybridge, but Major Harry Larkyns. Larkyns was the theatre critic that Muybridge murdered in 1874 after discovering that Larkyns had an affair with his wife and possibly fathered their son Florado. Muybridge tracked down Larkyns and shot him at point-blank range, then later pleaded insanity to the murder charges. If the cast that Gary Oldman wants comes through, Muybridge will be played by Ralph Fiennes, while Cumberbatch takes on the role of Larkyns.


READ MORE: http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/benedict-cumberbatch-steps-closer-muybridge-biopic/

Tom Hardy to star in The Outsider (SKY NEWS)

Hardy is set to star as an American soldier in 'The Outsider', which will mark the English-language debut of Japanese director Takashi Miike.

The 35-year-old actor - who received the BAFTA Rising Star Award for his role in 'Inception' in 2010 - is rumoured to play an American soldier in the upcoming film, set in post-World War II Japan and following an American expatriate who becomes a Yakuza enforcer (gangster), according to Deadline.com

The epic film - which was originally being developed by Warner Bros. - will mark the English-language debut of Japanese director Takashi Miike and will be based on an original idea by John Linson.

The Andrew Baldwin script was passed over to Silver Pictures last November and is being independently funded. Filming is expected to kick off early next year in Japan.

Meanwhile, Tom is also wanted for a Sir Elton John biopic entitled 'Rocketman'.

read more: http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=878386

Richard Armitage: 'I told Prince William he'd make a good elf in The Hobbit' YASMIN VOUGHTWEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013 (MOVIE FIX)

Image credit: Getty/Warner Bros Pictures

MovieFIX reporter Yasmin Vought settled in for a chat with Richard Armitage while he was in Sydney this week to promote the DVD and Blu-Ray release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey — where he told us a hilarious story about Peter Jackson's pants falling down, what it was like to go to dwarf boot camp and why Prince William, Duke of Cambridge would make a great elf. Read the full interview below.

How has your Australian stay been so far?

Richard: Yeah good, easy. I 've never been to Sydney before — I've had a great time.

I've climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge, did karaoke, I've eaten a lot of crazy seafood.

Karaoke huh, did you go to Ding Dong Dangs?

Richard: Yes I did. I don't remember what I sang, but I can't seem to get [Bon Jovi's] 'Living on a Prayer' out of my head, so maybe it was that.

But I thought your voice was more baritone.

Richard: Yeah, so did I. Maybe I sang the baritone version of it.

So I know we can't ask you about The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but can we ask you about Tauriel?

Richard: We like to call her towel rail. No I can't actually, I would be absolutely slaughtered. All I can say is that I love Evangeline [Lilly], very much.

I'm very curious about her character, because she wasn't in the books?

Richard: I'm quite curious! I think she's quite curious about her character as well, because nobody really knows. I never really saw her doing any shooting. I saw her doing some weapons training, which looked awesome.

And you went to dwarf boot camp for your training.

Richard: We did about eight weeks of learning how to walk like a dwarf, dwarf insults, wrestling and headbutting. They supposedly had a secret hand language, but we didn't quite manage to get that into the story because there just wasn't enough time to figure out what these hand signals were that they were doing.

But yeah it was interesting. We went into the woodlands to do a war improvisation and we started using these hand signals, like the SAS (Special Air Service) might. Which was fun.

You have your own lego character! That's pretty awesome.

Richard: There's one Thorin Lego which I'm very proud of. You now you've arrived when there's a Lego for your character.

This is why I was surprised that Tauriel had her own Lego figurine.

Richard: Well yeah, originally she was possibly going to be in movie one, so that's why a lot of those characters you would have seen already.

When you first read the book did you always feel a connection with Thorin's character?

Richard: No, when I read it as a kid, of course you follow Bilbo because that's what [JRR] Tolkien wants you to do. I loved Gollum, but I never thought that I might be playing Thorin.

Now I can't really imagine playing anything else, which is possibly a good thing. It's a sign of a connection with your character, because I'd thought aboit him a lot, read about him and had a connection with him.

266 days of filming is a long time with one character.

Richard: Yeah it is, but I think he'll stay in my head for a long time. I'm curious to see how he evolves for the second and third films. Because we shot it, but I don't quite remember what we did. I mean, I saw movie one and there were moments when I was like "I don't remember doing that".


READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE: http://yourmovies.com.au/article/8651311/richard-armitage-i-told-prince-william-hed-make-a-good-elf-in-the-hobbit

'50 Shades of Grey' Movie: Michael Fassbender Talks About Being a Christian Favorite September 13, 2012 06:05 PM EDT

by Aida Ekberg
Member since:
April 6, 2011

The 50 Shades of Grey movie favorites for the role of Christian Grey are dropping like flies.

First Ryan Gosling stopped speculation that he's in talks for the role by saying he doesn't know anything about 50 Shades except that it's a popular book, then Alexander Skarsgard revealed that he'd rather remake Lolita. And now Michael Fassbender has made it known that he's not exactly a Fifty fan, either.

Even though he's much too old to play 27-year-old business tycoon Christian, some Fassbender fans were hoping that the age of the whip-wielding dom with a dark past could be changed for the movie so that he could get cast.

However, here's what Michael Fassbender told The Mail about the 50 Shades of Grey movie:

"I haven't even read the book. You get your privates out and people assume you are some sex maniac."

So it definitely doesn't sound like he's interested


READ MORE: http://entertainment.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981630802

Michael Fassbender looking forward to working again with Brad Pitt (Anglophenia)

By Tom Brook | Posted on Friday,
January 13th, 2012

Michael Fassbender (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

It has been reported that Michael Fassbender will be starring opposite Brad Pitt in the U.S. period drama 12 Years a Slave. The film will tell the true story of an educated black man abducted into slavery in 1841.

Nothing is firmly set in stone, but Fassbender told me he expects shooting will be starting in May or early summer.

Fassbender was reluctant to offer up details on the project, but he’s clearly thrilled at the prospect of working with Pitt: “He’s fantastic at what he does, and he’s been at the top for such a long time. And he’s a great guy on top of it, so yeah, I really look forward to that.”

The two actors worked together in Inglourious Basterds — and Fassbender is a huge fan:

“Absolutely, having had the opportunity to work with him on Inglourious was just a real dream — and at that point he was very, very supportive to me.”

At the time, Fassbender was a virtual unknown: “Nobody knew who I was, and [Brad] was just really very, very generous in his acting but also with word of mouth. He was coming back to L.A. and speaking about me.”

12 Years A Slave will also mark Michael Fassbender’s third collaboration with British director Steve McQueen. The two worked together very effectively on Hunger and, more recently, in Shame.

Before shooting on 12 Years A Slave gets underway Fassbender and Pitt could find themselves in a friendly face-off at the Oscars. Both are possible Best Actor nominees: Pitt for his role in Moneyball or Tree of Life and Fassbender for Shame.

When I asked Michael Fassbender about the prospect of getting nominated, he said, “Of course it would be amazing, just the fact that we’re having this conversation, it’s amazing, so we’ll see what happens.”

  

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/01/watch-michael-fassbender-looks-forward-to-re-teaming-with-brad-pitt/