His daily routine!
How hard a character was Connor, in Fish Tank, to define for you? Because it seems pretty clear that even he doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing when he sort of gets into trouble with this young girl.
Michael Fassbender: Yeah, I think the most important thing is that I realized was not to tar him with any brush, really. Just have him be an average guy who, for the most part, is quite a good-natured character. I think he’s somebody who does have responsibility issues, and I think that he’s someone who, when faced with his problems, rather runs away than try to deal with them. But I don’t think that what he did was premeditated. I think it was something that happened in the moment. From what I could gather, Andrea wanted, and I what tried to do, was to have him be somebody, like you or I, who finds themselves in this situation, and makes that decision at that point in time. So, as an audience, you’re watching it and thinking, “Wow, this is something that is perhaps in me, and that I’m capable of doing.” And when you do that, I think it’s more powerful for an audience than “Here’s this guy. He’s a villain. He’s premeditated.” Then, they can just say he’s a bad guy. But what’s interesting with Andrea is there is no sort of bad, or good. There’s just human beings, and we have the capability of doing both constructive, and destructive, things to one another. I think Connor is a very positive influence in Mia’s life for most of the first two acts of the film. You know, I think he gives her a self-belief and a confidence that her mother can’t give her, and actually instills in her a belief that she has a talent. So I think he brings a lot of positivity into her life, but then, unfortunately, he just abuses that trust scenario and the fact that she is vying for some sort of male influence in her life. And she’s also becoming a woman. It’s a coming of age for her sexually, as well. So, I think the film is a slice of life, as opposed to “Here’s your action and this is the cause. Cause and effect.” Retribution at the end? There is none. It’s for the audience to go home and sort of deliberate amongst themselves, how they feel about it morally and socially.
source: 14th January 2010 by The Hollywood Interview.com
