Today,Michael Fassbenderis a well-known face in Hollywood, but the actor’s career began with a warehouse job, two auditions, and a long delay. Fassbender is best recognized as Magneto fromtheX-Menmovie series, but he has starred in numerous acclaimed movies, including300(2006),Inglourious Basterds(2009),Prometheus(2012), and12 Years a Slave(2013). Although he first started his career in 2001,it took five years for him to earn his theatrical role in300.
In an interview withEsquire, Fassbender explained exactly how he got his first major auditions, and coincidentally, both happened to be World War II projects. After quitting his warehouse job, Fassbender had two auditions within a week:Pearl HarborandBand of Brothers.He would get theBand of Brothersjob, which would be his first major role, but he would not have another opportunity “for years afterwards.” Check out his quote below:
So the casting process for Band of Brothers was interesting, because I sort of started doing night work. I was working in a warehouse, and I was just so tired in the day. It was nighttime work, so we start at 8:00 finish at 7:00 in the morning, andI was too tired to audition. Then I said I got to stop doing this job, quit that job, and within like a week, I got an audition for Pearl Harbor and Band of Brothers. I thought it was like I was on the up and up after that, and then I didn’t work for years afterwards.
What The World War II Offers Meant For Fassbender
The Role Was Still Small For Fassbender
Pearl HarborandBand of Brotherswere both massive productions.The latter was a $125 million showthat explored the trials of theU.S. Army’s Easy Companyduring World War II.Pearl Harbor, meanwhile, was a 2001 romance movie that followed a love triangle taking place during the Pearl Harbor attacks. It was a Michael Bay movie that had a $140 million budget. Fassbender previously revealed that he wasauditioning for the leading role in the film but lost it to Ben Affleckinstead. However, Fassbender did receive theBand of Brothersrole, where he shared the screen with many now-seasoned stars, like Damian Lewis, James McAvoy, and Dominic Cooper.
Without a major role to play, he was unable to distinguish himself from the rest ofBand of Brothers' expansive cast.
Despite seemingly having the opportunity to appear in major projects, neither impacted Fassbender’s career. TheBand of Brothersrole was small, compared to Lewis' Dick Winters or Ron Livingston’s Captain Nixon.He played Sergeant Burton Christensen, who was not heavily explored within the show. Without a major role to play, he was unable to distinguish himself from the rest ofBand of Brothers' expansive castand was left searching for other opportunities for years after.
Our Take On Fassbender’s World War II Explosion
Neither Role Could Have Defined Him
WhileBand of BrothersandPearl Harborcould have been significant for Fassbender, neither managed to leave their mark. He did not have his breakout role untilHunger(2008), where he played Irish prisoner Bobby Sands. Even had he secured Affleck’s role,it would likely not have impacted audiencessince,while financially successful, it was sharply criticized as aTitanicrip-off. It maintains a 24% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fassbender’s theatrical careermay have been slow to take off, but it is still extraordinarily successful. He receivedtwo nominations at the Academy Awards, which is a significant accomplishment, and he had a leading role in the massiveX-Menfranchise. The World War II auditions may not have amounted to much, but it is difficult to overstate howFassbender’s career has grown since. Losing out on his big break certainly hurt at the moment, but it was nothing but a momentary delay in hindsight. Perhaps, quitting that warehouse job was worth it after all.
