Michael Fassbender Quotes

You try to get to know your character as best as you can before you start filming - what's written and not written.

I don't think I've ever watched a movie to prepare for a role.

I do whatever I need to do to get into character. Sometimes it's being incredibly quiet, and sometimes it's being loose and goofy.

Basically, the way you get into any role is just doing research on the type of character you're playing.

The first thing, the main thing, about how I work is I need to understand the character.

The way I prepare is through script analysts and back story. I create back story for a character based on script analysts, filling in as many details as possible. I also do a lot of research.

As an actor, I've learned to become a detective. You have to figure out who that person is. If the character is a thief, you have to figure out what makes them a thief. Whatever the prevailing idiosyncrasy is, I have to find it in the script.

In theater, you go in-depth with your character, so coming to the States, it was inevitable to dig into the pilots I liked. I knew what characters I was going to be reading for, so I would dissect them and really get involved with them.

Part of an actor's job is to find correlations between your own life and the life of the person you are playing.

Actors are investigators.

I try to create as many circumstances outside of set that help me fall into character when I get onto set.

I think people are always trying to demystify whatever acting is, so they want to know what your method is.

A lot of acting techniques are very self-oriented.

I like to rehearse. We did a lot of rehearsals for 'Moneyball,' but it is really individual to the actor. It's not like, 'Here is my process, everybody. Fit in.'

I don't think I'm an actor who takes their characters home with him. But I certainly do take the preparation home.

Every actor comes with their own experience, method, methodology.

I wouldn't call myself a method actor, but I have my own method. I do my own research. I come up with a background for the character. I'm not a club man. I don't like isms. I've never really studied Stanislavski.

That's one thing I like to do before going in for a read - doing research once I actually have been granted the role - is to look up people's names.

It kind of varies. I don’t have a method yet. It depends on the script and the character I think I need. I’ve worked with acting coaches, researched roles, and channeled different parts of myself. It’s on a case-by-case for me, right now.

What I had found after the success of Karate Kid II is that an actor basically needs to - a primary requirement on my part as how I view as actor is you have to create a background, you have to create a history of that character and place her into the script that you're reading and carry on forward because you don't know how the future unfolds. This is what storytelling is you place a certain set of circumstances with a certain set of characters and you see what unfolds after an event happens.

I won't even think about acting in a role where I didn't do a back story for a character.

I did all the dialect work, all my character work completely by myself.

There's the acting side of it so you work with a coach. Dissect a script. If it's a character, then obviously a character study. Just depends on if there is training needed.

I think an actor can actually gather moments, memories and emotions for his next character. So, it's a constant work.

Usually when you're playing a character, you think a lot about their backstory.