Michael Fassbender bares it all (pun intended) in the new NC-17 rated Shame, a tale of a sex addict living in New York co-written and directed by frequent collaborator Steve McQueen (Hunger). For Fassbender, who's on the fast track to movie stardom with leading man roles in Inglourious Basterds, X-Men: First Class, and the highly anticipated Alien prequel-esque Prometheus, Shame is a ballsy move at this point in the actor's career.
But neither he or McQueen seem concerned with what many consider the MPAA's mark of death (See: NC-17). They simply set out to make a realistic, artistic and modern portrayal of something never quite seen on screen.
I recently sat down with the actor and the director to discuss Shame, its risque subject matter, thoughts on being slapped with an NC-17 rating and Fassbender on the Fassbender furor. And if you're wondering if we were naked while we did our interview, I'll leave that answer to the imagination.