2023-06-10 13:09:00
You know his face. Different roles, unique characters, he plays in the A-League of Hollywood. He played Magneto in the comic adaptation of “X-Men”, in “Shame” a businessman in a sex crisis, in “Inglourious Basterds” by cult director Quentin Tarantino he played a British officer, in the prequel to the Alien saga ” Promotheus” he gave his role as an android a disturbing life of its own. In the Netflix work by David Fincher “The Killer” he will be on the screens in November, with master director Taika Waititi he shot “The next goal wins” (also starting in November).
But there is another Michael Fassbender who dropped out of Hollywood. He filmed a YouTube series with Porsche about his arduous journey from rookie to racing driver, culminating in competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2022 he made his debut, the path was accompanied by frequent failures, by vulnerable moments in which you can hear Fassbender cursing uncontrollably. Moments when he seems close to despair.
Lick the wounds
In an interview with the Kleine Zeitung, he said it took him weeks last year “to lick the wounds” he suffered in last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
But he’s back. Like so many Hollywood stars, he has become addicted to racing. Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, “Mr. Bean” Rowan Atkinson, Steve McQueen, James Dean – Hollywood at Speed.
In the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours, another actor who has raced successfully at Le Mans is Fassbender’s team principal. Patrick Dempsey (of Grey’s Anatomy fame) brought Fassbender to the racing circuit after talking at a chance meeting at an airport. That was a good five years ago, the German-born Fassebender came into the Porsche racer program.
Dempsey emphasized in an interview with the Kleine Zeitung: “One must never forget: He’s there among racing drivers who haven’t done anything else since they were five years old. It’s incredible that he’s here at all and is following the whole thing.” And: “It’s the path, not necessarily the goal, that makes you grow the most as an individual. The fact that Michael Fassbender is on the way shows that he’s done a great job. It’s really tough out there To be a stretch, to show your vulnerability and to reveal that you are a beginner and a learner on this stage.”
sweet madness
The stage is called Le Mans. Sweet madness between public roads and race track. 350,000 people are here, at night you can see glowing brake discs flying through the night like fireflies. Different vehicle concepts are at the start, with crazy speed differences, every lap is a dance on the razor blade. For its 75th anniversary, Porsche wants to win the hundredth edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and, alongside Fassbender and Co., has fielded three top teams.
Obsessed with the car
Professional racers meet amateur racers who have fulfilled their lifelong dream. like Fassbender. “I’ve always been obsessed with cars,” he confessed. “The first time I was on a kart track, I felt: This is right for me. I wasn’t really good at any sport, but in karting I felt what I really like.” For Fassbender, the moments in the racing car are special, meditative: “The most important thing is not to think, to be in the now.” The Hollywood star , who competes in Le Mans together with the Austrian professional Richard Lietz, provides deep insights into his inner life.
Mr. Fassbender, how did you like the Grossglockner?
MICHAEL FASSBENDER: Was?
Two weeks ago you were with Ferdinand Porsche from the Porsche dynasty, who bought the legendary “Mankeiwirt” and set up a world of experience for the cultural asset car there.
FASSBENDER: Oh yes! The Groẞglockner – it’s just great what he’s doing there. He’s such an enthusiastic person and what he’s building from the history of the car and racing history – just amazing. It’s such a beautiful place and the beautiful cars!
You are a Hollywood star who took a conscious break in your career to become a racing driver: what drove you to do it? Was it the adrenaline, was it the thrill of speed, was it the so-called flow that racers talk about when they are on a perfect lap?
FASSBENDER: I think it’s the flow. Driving there, not thinking about anything else, just being present in the now. And that’s what happens when you’re so extremely focused. Your mind is not surprised that you are totally in the now without thinking about anything else. Because the speed is there, because you have to be focused, because all sorts of forces are affecting you. It’s about the ability not to think about anything in those moments, to get into that state where you just allow yourself to just be awake and mindful in your mind – nothing else.
As you sit in the car now, do you feel some kind of fear or rather some kind of pressure?
FASSBENDER: I think all of these feelings are present, in a kind of butterflies that you have under construction when you race. Pressure is an interesting phenomenon: it comes from yourself rather than from others. I’ve tended to push myself, now I try to avoid it. I try to just let it happen. From curve to curve. And not allowing the mind to interfere too much. Last year I had negative thoughts in my head, you get caught in a negative spiral. I avoid that.
What have you learned from racing?
FASSBENDER: It’s about not sitting next to you and judging yourself. That won’t get you anywhere. Last year I licked my wounds after the race for a few weeks, as they say – it kept me busy for weeks. That was the pressure I put on myself. It was totally challenging back then. Today I am just happy that I had this experience in life. And here I am again. Only that counts.
You’ve taken a big risk: from Hollywood star to be admired to racing rookie. You made your own video series out of it, in which it was relentlessly shown how vulnerable you are and how difficult it was to get into the racing car. Was it all worth it?
FASSBENDER: I didn’t really see it as a risk. We knew that for the series we had to be honest, we wanted to be blunt about everything. There was always a camera in my face whenever something went wrong. That’s what the drama is. But it is what it is.
From Gene Hackman, Paul Newman and Tim Allen to your team boss Patrick Dempsey, who was already successful in Le Mans: What fascinates Hollywood about getting in the car and driving races yourself?
FASSBENDER: I can’t really answer that. All I can say for myself is: I’ve always loved cars, I was obsessed. I was average in all kinds of sports. When I sat in a go-kart for the first time, it felt right. Maybe it’s the clarity you feel in the car. Just you and the car.
Racer or actor – if you had to choose: which path would you choose?
FASSBENDER: I’m most at home in acting. I’ve been doing this since I was 17, so around thirty years. When I step onto the film set every muscle knows what to do, it’s kind of become my nature. Auto racing is new to me. I started the journey with Porsche five years ago. My first childhood dream was to be a racing driver, of course. It was my first dream. But I love being an actor! I am happy and grateful for this career.
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