'I had to cover my eyes'

Michael Fassbender talks about his role in new film, Shame...

09:46 20 January 2012

Michael Fassbender has confessed that he had to cover his eyes while watching Shame. 

The X-Men: First Class star revealed that he finds it difficult to watch himself on screen, especially when he is naked.

He told The Hollywood Reporter:

"I mean, how many times can you watch yourself, and especially with something like Shame.

"I had done the film so I was aware of what was in it, but the way they edited it, I kind of watched the last third like this," he added, while covering his eyes.

The Jane Eyre star also spoke of his difficulty in playing his character sex-addict, Brandon Sullivan, telling W magazine:

"I must admit—I initially thought it might be fun. You hear ‘sex’ and you think…sex! But this was definitely the hardest job I’ve done. I can usually shake a character off, but I couldn’t shake Brandon.

"He had no sensual enjoyment in his life, and since we filmed the movie so quickly, I found myself living in his skin. Keeping him close to me was exhausting, cold, horrible.

"As Brandon, I never ate. He had one container of Chinese food in his fridge. All that sex and he didnÂ’t have any pleasure. That sad container of noodles tells you more about Brandon than any nudity."

Shame, which also features Carey Mulligan, is playing in selected cinemas now.