Michael Fassbender’s cinematic love

Michael Fassbender isn’t afraid to get intimate on screen, said Kyle Buchanan in New York. In recent movies, the German-Irish actor has bedded, spanked, and whipped Keira Knightley, and romped with a bevy of burlesque starlets. The key to a good sex scene, he explains, is making your co-star feel comfortable. “The most important thing is to say, ‘Let’s talk about this,’” says the 34-year-old. “You have to say, ‘What lines do you have that you don’t want me to cross? Do you mind if I touch your breasts? Can I kiss your breasts? Just so you know, I’m not taking advantage and taking the p--- out of this situation.’” Sometimes, he adds, alcohol can help loosen things up. “You take a couple of shots of tequila and, you know, get groovy.”

Fassbender thinks that his parents would be proud of his recent explicit performances, particularly the full-frontal nude shots in his movie Shame. “Women parade around naked all the time [in films], but the guy conveniently has his pants on,” he says. “I remember my mom complaining about that, saying, ‘This is such bulls---, it’s always the women who are naked.’ So I did this one for you, Mom!”

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