When Michael Fassbender drove for Porsche at the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours, he continued a long tradition of movie stars racing cars that goes back to Paul Newman. Now it looks like Fassbender is doing his part to mentor the next generation of up-and-coming actors.
Nicholas Hoult has been a semi-regular presence on the racing circuit for the past few years, rising through the ranks as a famous Ferrari driver. In a new interview with him GQ Spainthe “succession” star credited Fassbender with getting him interested in the sport and helping him get his foot in the door.
“It came through Michael Fassbender,” Hoult said when asked about the origins of his racing career. “We used to go karting while filming the X-Men movies and then he did the Ferrari Challenge. After that, Ferrari very kindly offered me the opportunity to complete the Corso Pilota program. This is how I progressed through the program that prepares you to try the 488 Challenge. I already did my first race weekend last year and I hope to do a couple more this year.”
Hoult explained that he sees acting and racing as a natural compliment, as racing offers him clearly defined rules and metrics for success that he doesn’t find on a film set.
“It’s an adrenaline rush, but at the same time, its flow is very specific and quite meditative, the state of inflow and outflow. But there are also very clear parameters of when you did it well and when you didn’t, and what you still need to work on,” he said. “When you’re acting, it’s quite difficult to get clear parameters because there are so many elements to doing something great or something that’s just good or bad. There are so many elements that can change… Whereas in competitions it’s very clear.”
Fassbender has prioritized his racing career in recent years and hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2019’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” But he will soon return to acting on a grand scale in Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Na Hong-jin’s “Hope”.
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