Read Online Michael Fassbender by Jim Maloney - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jim Maloney
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limitations, and Fassbender and Smith are excellent.’
Michael’s next move was back to the big screen. French director François Ozon has made a name for himself with such movies as 8 Women, Swimming Pool, 5x2 and Water Drops on Burning Rocks . But it was to Edwardian London that he turned to make his first English-languagemovie, Angel (The Real Life of Angel Deverell) . Based on the 1957 book by English novelist Elizabeth Taylor, it was inspired by Marie Corelli, a contemporary of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria’s favourite writer.
The film follows the rise and fall of an ambitious romantic novelist, Angelica ‘Angel’ Deverell, at the turn of the 20th century. The 15-year-old Angel dreams of becoming a writer and leaving her life above her mother’s grocery shop behind. The magnificent Paradise House nearby symbolises for her the finest things she wants in life. Although her writing might not be very good, it attracts the attention of a London publisher (Sam Neill) and her subsequent books earn her a fortune. Later she comes into contact with two siblings – struggling artist Esmé, who becomes infatuated with Angel, and his sister Nora.
Romola Garai – who had played the teenage Briony Tallis in Atonement and the title role in the TV adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma – was cast as Angelica. Michael was so keen to work with Ozon that he endured five auditions before he was finally given the role of her love interest and later husband, the broody and penniless artist, Esmé. ‘I really wanted to work with him because he is so open to ideas,’ Michael said later, but he had found the preliminaries nerve-racking. ‘I had no idea if he’d pick me. I really wanted to work with him but I was nervous. Five auditions, for God’s sake!’
The magnificent, Gothic-style Tyntesfield House (nearBristol) – with its spiralling turrets, terraced lawns, interior balconies, oak-panelled walls and estate – was used for Paradise House, which Angelica buys.
Ozon revealed that a Hollywood studio had been interested in making the film with him but he had refused after they insisted that he work with an American screenwriter for a year and come up with a happy ending. ‘If I did that, they promised they’d get me an American star!’ he scoffed. ‘I preferred doing the film my way, with lesser-known actors and a smaller budget. I worked with a wonderful English casting director who introduced me to the current crop of young British actors. I did careful screen tests and chose actors who were enthusiastic and available, and who hadn’t yet gotten their big break in England.’
He chose Romala Garai because he felt she really understood the role and wasn’t afraid of the more grotesque aspects of Angel’s character. Plus she brought charm and naivety to the part. He chose Michael to play Esmé because he sensed a strong chemistry between the two actors. ‘The young painter needed to be real, carnal, charismatic, insolent. Michael Fassbender has those qualities; he’s a mix of irony and brute force. He’s Irish; he has a different accent and a different manner than the English. He’s more quirky and raw.’
Ozon was impressed by his experience of working with English actors and thought they added something new to the process. ‘They brought depth and complexity to thescenes, along with a level of acting that I have rarely seen,’ he said. ‘They prepared their roles in advance, using my indications and our conversations to really get inside their characters and bring them to life. Whereas French actors tend to work on a day-by-day basis, English actors are more like distance runners.’
For the role Michael actually had to paint – a skill, along with a knowledge of the subject of art, which he freely admits that he does not possess. ‘I’ve got two left hands,’ he said. ‘I’m intimidated by a blank canvas. For me, art is about how you see the world around you and how you express it.’ But there
Michael’s next move was back to the big screen. French director François Ozon has made a name for himself with such movies as 8 Women, Swimming Pool, 5x2 and Water Drops on Burning Rocks . But it was to Edwardian London that he turned to make his first English-languagemovie, Angel (The Real Life of Angel Deverell) . Based on the 1957 book by English novelist Elizabeth Taylor, it was inspired by Marie Corelli, a contemporary of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria’s favourite writer.
The film follows the rise and fall of an ambitious romantic novelist, Angelica ‘Angel’ Deverell, at the turn of the 20th century. The 15-year-old Angel dreams of becoming a writer and leaving her life above her mother’s grocery shop behind. The magnificent Paradise House nearby symbolises for her the finest things she wants in life. Although her writing might not be very good, it attracts the attention of a London publisher (Sam Neill) and her subsequent books earn her a fortune. Later she comes into contact with two siblings – struggling artist Esmé, who becomes infatuated with Angel, and his sister Nora.
Romola Garai – who had played the teenage Briony Tallis in Atonement and the title role in the TV adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma – was cast as Angelica. Michael was so keen to work with Ozon that he endured five auditions before he was finally given the role of her love interest and later husband, the broody and penniless artist, Esmé. ‘I really wanted to work with him because he is so open to ideas,’ Michael said later, but he had found the preliminaries nerve-racking. ‘I had no idea if he’d pick me. I really wanted to work with him but I was nervous. Five auditions, for God’s sake!’
The magnificent, Gothic-style Tyntesfield House (nearBristol) – with its spiralling turrets, terraced lawns, interior balconies, oak-panelled walls and estate – was used for Paradise House, which Angelica buys.
Ozon revealed that a Hollywood studio had been interested in making the film with him but he had refused after they insisted that he work with an American screenwriter for a year and come up with a happy ending. ‘If I did that, they promised they’d get me an American star!’ he scoffed. ‘I preferred doing the film my way, with lesser-known actors and a smaller budget. I worked with a wonderful English casting director who introduced me to the current crop of young British actors. I did careful screen tests and chose actors who were enthusiastic and available, and who hadn’t yet gotten their big break in England.’
He chose Romala Garai because he felt she really understood the role and wasn’t afraid of the more grotesque aspects of Angel’s character. Plus she brought charm and naivety to the part. He chose Michael to play Esmé because he sensed a strong chemistry between the two actors. ‘The young painter needed to be real, carnal, charismatic, insolent. Michael Fassbender has those qualities; he’s a mix of irony and brute force. He’s Irish; he has a different accent and a different manner than the English. He’s more quirky and raw.’
Ozon was impressed by his experience of working with English actors and thought they added something new to the process. ‘They brought depth and complexity to thescenes, along with a level of acting that I have rarely seen,’ he said. ‘They prepared their roles in advance, using my indications and our conversations to really get inside their characters and bring them to life. Whereas French actors tend to work on a day-by-day basis, English actors are more like distance runners.’
For the role Michael actually had to paint – a skill, along with a knowledge of the subject of art, which he freely admits that he does not possess. ‘I’ve got two left hands,’ he said. ‘I’m intimidated by a blank canvas. For me, art is about how you see the world around you and how you express it.’ But there
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