Here is the controversial portion (bold emphasis are mine):
The Counselor is too defiantly bloody and operatic to threaten much in the way of Academy Awards, but 12 Years a Slave seems likely to be a different story. It is hard to imagine Fassbender's Epps not being in the Oscar conversation. Which is a problem that Fassbender—who has been down this road and has no desire to try it again—has already solved.
He is going to New Zealand. He's got a production company he started with a pal, and they're doing their first feature. Production begins mid-October. After that, he's shooting Macbeth with Marion Cotillard. "I'm going to be busy working," Fassbender says. "I just don't really have time."
But people have a way of being like, "You need to be at this luncheon."
"That's just not going to happen, because I'll be in New Zealand. I'll be on the other side of the world. You know, I get it. Everybody's got to do their job. So you try and help and facilitate as best you can. But I won't put myself through that kind of situation again."
He goes on a bit about the process of campaigning for one of these things. "It's just a grind. And I'm not a politician. I'm an actor."
Around Oscar season, the lines get pretty blurred between those two things.
"Not if you're not there!"
As I stated in the previous thread, I understand where he's coming from and I don't blame him one bit in staying out of the circus that is the Oscar nomination process. I have said many times before, and rather obnoxiously I admit, that Michael was screwed over in 2012 when he was not nominated for Shame. As you all recall as well, Michael's face was everywhere from the first week of Sept 2011 til Oscar nomination day in mid January 2012. He was on a dozen magazine covers, he went on Letterman for the first time, he traveled all over the country and the world promoting Shame, he did countless print interviews, won countless critics awards, and he even participated in an actor's round table of possible Oscar nominees, and he was shirtless on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, and pose seductively in another photo shoot. All of this was fun for him and for us, but most certainly, it was a marketing and PR maneuver designed to get that coveted Oscar nomination. But it never came.
Michael is a busy in demand actor, and maybe it was a deliberate move to film two movies on the other side of the planet, so far removed from Hollywood, that it would be a burden to even fly to the states to participate in any campaign schmoozing. He's been there done that and got burned and bummed out from the political process. In his comment to GQ, he did not say that he does not disrespect AMPAS, he did not say that he does not want an Oscar, all he's saying is that he will not participate in the campaigning for the Oscar anymore. Michael is a professional and he's just focusing on his work. He's an actor first and foremost, and he's a busy one at that, and he needs to focus on his job. After all, it's his work that pays the bills, not running around smiling and trying impress voters who can't really be bothered to watch his films due to whatever personal issues they have with said film.
I'm happy that Michael has stated this because it needed to be said by someone like him. Some people who lack common sense and are uncouth will think he's being sour for being snubbed for Shame. He's being a realist and he's moving on and focusing on the important things. Surely if time allows, he will oblige and participate in interviews from afar if he is nominated, but it's the whoring of himself that he will not divulge in again, it's not worth it, and it won't be much fun. People should respect his decision.
If you haven't read the Deadline.com article about Michael's comments, please check it out, and make note of the following comment posted by someone:
I worked with Michael on a film and I don’t think a crew member could ask for a more gracious and professional actor to work alongside. There are likely no ulterior motives in this decision, probably just giving respect to those with whom he’s working in New Zealand.
Comment by He's the best — Tuesday October 15, 2013 @ 5:13pm PDT
He certainly is the best! Now go watch that short video of the GQ photo session!
http://video.gq.com/watch/gq-covers-behind-the-scenes-of-michael-fassbender-gq-cover-story