After a self-imposed hiatus from acting, Michael Fassbender is back onscreen with a vengeance in 2025. Sure, his comeback technically started in 2023 with David Fincher‘s “The Killer” and Taika Waititi‘s “Next Goal Wins,” but Fassbender is all over the place this year. There’s Season 1 of Showtime‘s “The Agency,” which just wrapped airing in January. There’s Steven Soderbergh‘s spy thriller “Black Bag,” in theaters this weekend. And there’s Na Hong-jin‘s “Hope” on the way this year too, which sees Fassbender co-star with his wife, Alicia Vikander.
So, naturally, with “Black Bag” debuting this weekend, it makes sense that Fassbender make the press rounds, and his stop in to the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast featured all sorts of great anecdotes about the actor’s storied career. For instance, Fassbender read for the part of Max Rockatansky in George Miller‘s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” but a late arrival to the audition and bad vibes from Miller’s acting coach put the actor off the project entirely.
“Yes, oh my god, it was one of the worst auditions…[in] recent [years.] It was awful,” said Fassbender. He explained to host Josh Horowitz that he didn’t have his smartphone at the time, was using print-out directions, got lost, and arrived an hour late for the read. “George Miller had this acting coach and… it was so excruciating. I’m classically trained!” he continued. “I have a process…and it’s like you’re teaching granny to suck eggs. This [coach] guy really got on my nerves…it was so…I couldn’t wait to get out of there.” “Obviously, I didn’t get the part, “ he quipped. “Tom Hardy got the part and deservedly so.”
As for playing “X-Men” villain/anti-hero Magneto again in the Marvel universe, Fassbender seems to have let go of the character, and he’s eager to see what’s next. “I think it’s great,” Fassbender said of the idea of passing the Magneto baton on to the next generation of actors. “I’m excited to see who does it.” But the actor had no intel on who Marvel Studios possibly has in mind to take on Magneto next. As for the rumors that Denzel Washington could play him (which likely isn’t going to happen anymore since Washington is being eyed for a villain role in “Black Panther 3”), Fassbender said, “Brilliant, he’s a heavyweight.”
Finally, Fassbender also spoke about “Inglourious Basterds,” and recalled auditioning for his “hero” Quentin Tarantino. In the conversation, the actor revealed that he had hoped to audition for Hans Landa, the part that went to Christoph Waltz, but it wasn’t available. and the Tarantino wouldn’t even let him read for the part regardless. According to Fassbender, an annoyed Tarantino said, “Look man, I cast Landa on Tuesday,” and then had Fassbender do a “cold read” for Lt. Archie Hicox instead, an audition he called “surreal” and thought he totally blew. A week later though, he got the call and got the job, in what’s a perfect minor role for the actor’s charisma.
Watch the whole “Happy Sad Confused” interview below, and stay tuned for more news about Michael Fassbender’s return to acting full-time (hint hint: a “Kung Fury” sequel is on the way!).
