Then I Didn’t Work For Years Afterwards

Today, Michael Fassbender is 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 from the X-Men movie series, but he has starred in numerous acclaimed movies, including 300 (2006), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Prometheus (2012), and 12 Years a Slave (2013). Although he first started his career in 2001, it took five years for him to earn his theatrical role in 300.

In an interview with Esquire, 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 Harbor and Band of Brothers. He would get the Band of Brothers job, 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, and I 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 Harbor and Band of Brothers were both massive productions. The latter was a $125 million show that explored the trials of the U.S. Army’s Easy Company during 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 was auditioning for the leading role in the film but lost it to Ben Affleck instead. However, Fassbender did receive the Band of Brothers role, where he shared the screen with many now-seasoned stars, like Damian Lewis, James McAvoy, and Dominic Cooper.

Despite seemingly having the opportunity to appear in major projects, neither impacted Fassbender’s career. The Band of Brothers role 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 of Band of Brothers‘ expansive cast and was left searching for other opportunities for years after.

Our Take On Fassbender’s World War II Explosion

Neither Role Could Have Defined Him

While Band of Brothers and Pearl Harbor could have been significant for Fassbender, neither managed to leave their mark. He did not have his breakout role until Hunger (2008), where he played Irish prisoner Bobby Sands. Even had he secured Affleck’s role, it would likely not have impacted audiences since, while financially successful, it was sharply criticized as a Titanic rip-off. It maintains a 24% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fassbender’s theatrical career may have been slow to take off, but it is still extraordinarily successful. He received two nominations at the Academy Awards, which is a significant accomplishment, and he had a leading role in the massive X-Men franchise. The World War II auditions may not have amounted to much, but it is difficult to overstate how Fassbender‘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.

Source: Esquire

Band of Brothers

Release Date

2001 – 2000

Network

HBO Max

Directors

Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, David Frankel, Phil Alden Robinson, Mikael Salomon

Writers

Erik Jendresen, Tom Hanks, John Orloff, E. Max Frye, Graham Yost, Bruce C. McKenna