We failed to turn Michael off acting, say parents
The couple will be in Los Angeles tomorrow night hoping to watch Michael walk the red carpet and collect an Oscar for his part in 12 Years a Slave.
“We always tried to talk him out of it when he was younger, because it’s such an uncertain profession that depends very much on luck, who you meet and how you’re received,’’ recalled Mr Fassbender.
Fassbender junior tried to start a rock group as a young lad, but he was very determined to go into acting and once he met Donie Courtney (now of the Gaiety School of Acting) that’s what got him going. “Once we saw there was no changing his heart, we accepted his choice and fully supported him after that.”
There’s no acting history on either side of the family, but Michael appeared to have a special gift from an early age, always wanting to perform, playing guitar and singing virtually all the time.
And that sense of drama was there from the moment of his birth. According to family lore, Michael was almost born on April Fool’s Day, but his father asked his mother to hold on a little longer and the screen star-to-be arrived into the world soon after midnight on April 2, 1977.
Just back from the storm-battered Isle of Skye in Scotland, where Michael is filming Macbeth, the Fassbenders, who live in Fossa, Killarney, Co Kerry, packed their bags for Hollywood again this week.
Michael’s parents get the impression he is not going to the Oscars with high expectations. “There are some very strong contenders, like Jared Leto for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. It’s really hard to say.”
They got access to the set of 12 Years a Slave during filming in New Orleans where they met director Steve McQueen who has built up an excellent working relationship with Michael.
This weekend, the Fassbenders will also be meeting their daughter, Catherine, a neuro-psychologist who is attached to Davis University in California. She is older than Michael and they are said to be close.
“We didn’t expect his success and his career just catapulted after directors took notice of him,’’ said Mr Fassbender. “This is great and he really loves what he does.’’
