“It’s his role. I’m just a visitor”: Michael Fassbender Crowned Sir Ian McKellen as the Ultimate Magneto Despite His Own Contribution
It was said that Irish actor Michael Fassbender, who gained fame for his portrayal of mutant Holocaust survivor Magneto or Erik Lehnsherr in the 2011 film X-Men: First Class, had little prior knowledge of the mutant team but became intrigued by the role after reading the script and learning more about Magneto from the comics.
Before Michael Fassbender, Sir Ian McKellen played the role of Magneto in the films X-Men (2000), X2, (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Since he was the one to first introduce the character to the audience on-screen, he is still regarded as one of the fans’ favorites. It looks like Michael Fassbender concurs. Let’s find out more.
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Michael Fassbender calls Sir Ian McKellen the ‘greatest actor’
Actor Michael Fassbender, who portrayed the younger version of Magneto or Erik Lehnsherr in the reboot of the franchise X-Men: First Class in 2011 directed by Matthew Vaugh, was introduced as a victim of disfranchisement, owing to the Nazi rise to power in his childhood and racial discrimination against mutants in his adulthood.
The Irish actor believes, according to Firstpost, that his Magento has been portrayed differently in his four films, whereas Ian McKellen’s Magento has been portrayed as a constant force against mankind irrespective of how much blood was at stake. But in a more humane way, Magneto makes his way after he helps reverse the chain of events that led to mutant persecution in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
During an interview with Firstpost on the X-Men: Dark Phoenix promotional tour in Seoul, South Korea, the actor mentioned, “Ian McKellen is one of the greatest actors we have had. I had the honor of meeting him during the shooting of Days of Future Past.”
Michael Fassbender talks about impersonating Sir Ian McKellen’s Magneto
The actor who seemed grateful to the character had explained in one of the interviews, according to a quote mentioned on IMDB, that in his last movie, 2014’ X-Men: Days of Future Past, the characters’ performances needed to be parallel to each other compared to what Matthew Vaughen had told him for the previous movie, so the actor decided to do it uniquely. He explained,
“Rather than going up to Sir Ian and saying ‘You need to study my accent,’ I thought I’d try to copy his… After all, it’s his role. I’m just a visitor. There was this clip on YouTube where Sir Ian was giving a lecture on Shakespeare. I listened to that one over and over to try and get it. So when you see this ‘X-Men,’ well, I sound a bit different. Perhaps the whole time Magneto’s been locked up he’s been taking elocution lessons.”
In an interview with EW back in 2013, Ian McKellen was quick to note that the character he had once introduced on-screen is in safe hands with Fassbender portraying the younger version of it. He also noted during the interview,
“I don’t always understand the plots of these films until I actually see them with an audience.”
Will Michael Fassbender be the successor to Daniel Craig’s James Bond?
The Irish actor has been known as one of the frontrunners for the role of James Bond and possible successor to Daniel Craig, along with actors Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Idris Elba. The actor shared his views during an interview with GQ,
“Well, I have thought about it a lot. The film could start off in Sandhurst and how he became a ‘double 0’. M could walk in and say to him, ‘Bond, there’s a 00 project but it’s going to be totally off the book, black ops, and you’ve got to go into prison undetected’. I just love Bond. Doesn’t everyone? I grew up with him. It’s always a fun conversation to have.”
But the actor said that Daniel Craig has done such a cracking job in the age group, noting that he thinks that the franchise needs something new and agreed that Ryan Gosling fits in perfectly for the role before adding,
“I always thought Bond should be British, but let’s get an American in. Or maybe someone like Jack O’Connell would be good? Or even better, how about Jane Bond? A woman. “
The actor lastly added that one thing that he knows for sure is the fact that whoever gets picked won’t be on the list because it never is.
