For adults only: Fassbender in The Counselor

MANILA, Philippines - In legendary director Ridley Scott’s riveting crime drama The Counselor, Michael Fassbender plays a respected lawyer who makes a shady, illegal business deal. His life unravels as he becomes embroiled in a brutal criminal underworld. One bad choice has grave consequences.

The film, written by Cormac McCarthy, also stars Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt. Having fast become one of the leading lights of his generation of actors, Michael adds Ridley’s The Counselor to an impressive string of roles in films as diverse as they are popular and critically acclaimed. 

Born in Germany, and raised in Killarney, Ireland, Michael is a graduate of London’s prestigious Drama Centre. His breakthrough role came when he was cast in the epic Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks production, Band of Brothers. His big screen debut came with Zack Snyder’s 300, and offers for other film roles swiftly followed. He further cemented his talent in the indie one-two punch of Steve McQueen’s Hunger in 2008 and Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank in 2009.

Subsequently, Michael has worked with directors such as Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method) and Steven Soderbergh (Haywire). His first collaboration with Ridley, Prometheus, grossed more than $400M at the worldwide box-office.

His talents are much in demand, and this 2013 and beyond, he will be seen in McQueen’s third film, Twelve Years A Slave, alongside Brad, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Cumberbatch; in Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank, alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy; and as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past. 

What can you say about your character?

“I think the problem with the Counselor is that he thinks he is smarter than he is. There’s an arrogance to him that is going to be costly to him. I wanted him to be an everyday guy. I wanted him to be you or me, and he has simply over-pitched himself. He’s taken a risk and, without fully taking on board what the consequences of that risk could be, he finds himself out of his depth. He’s given plenty of opportunities to pull himself out.”

This is Cormac McCarthy’s first feature script; what’s it like to chew over his dialogue?

“Actually, I’m sort-of listening for a lot of it. The Counselor, the character, is pretty sparse with his dialogue. He seems to be getting counseled by everyone else around him and yet he’s the one called the Counselor, so that’s pretty interesting. The writing is so exquisite and sophisticated and you just don’t get that opportunity very much. This is one script where you don’t know what will happen next.”

There are these incredibly meaty exchanges in the script.

“Yes, I always like to do long takes, because it’s a lot of fun and there’s more at stake for everybody, the entire crew. I think an energy is created and it’s palpable. A nine-page scene with Brad Pitt, Ridley drops down to using just three cameras, and off he goes. It’s brutal and beautiful. And for my character, there’s this relationship with Penelope Cruz’s character, which is quite real. Some of the things they say to each other could be seen as quite vulgar if it weren’t two people in love and being honest with one another. There’s an honesty about their exchanges.” 

Does it help on day one, to have had a history with Ridley Scott?

“Definitely. I mean, I’m always nervous starting any job and week one is always when the character walks and talks for the first time in front of an audience, so I always get jitterbugs then. With Prometheus I definitely thought, ‘Oh my God, what is this going to be like?’ But Ridley and I got on immediately and the first thing that surprised me was how actor-friendly he is. He’s very specific with actors and his notes are imaginative and practical. It’s an absolute joy to work with him. And watching him work is special because he’s got control of each department’s language and he can speak with them in their language and inspire them. It’s pretty amazing to watch. He’s always aware of everything that’s happening on set. He had four cameras running today, plus the crane camera.”

How is it working with Brad Pitt again?

“It’s been great to play opposite Brad. We’ve done quite a few things together now. I feel quite privileged to be in this position. It’s one thing to get work, but this kind of opportunity really far exceeds expectations.”

(Rated R-18 by the MTRCB, The Counselor opens Nov. 13 in cinemas from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.)