The Tom Cruise Playboy article is insightful in its lack of insight. Michael Fassbender just doesn’t have that level of control yet. He’s not a machine. Michael Fassbender, rather, right now at least, seems to be all instinct and impulse. When he’s interviewed then, it’s more than just a fluff piece.

Fassbender covers the new issue of GQ. I’ve only included the photos of him on his own. There are other shots that show him in suggestive poses with women that I’m not all that into, especially the one of him holding down the girl’s nipples. Meant for the magazine’s male target, sure. But there’s something disturbing to me about seeing him so clearly dominant as an aspirational image for a certain demographic. Here are the clothes, here is the lifestyle, and you can punctuate that with a sex life featuring gorgeous models ready to let you manipulate their bodies.

It’s especially inconsistent when you consider that the entire piece is dedicated to his Penis. And the writer’s assertion that it’s become boring to its owner and, frankly, to me too. You’ll note that I’ve not written much about his Penis and the size of it in most of my coverage of Fassbender; the fixation is not only juvenile but, as made clear by the writer and Fassbender’s subtle agreement, it diminishes not only him but us too.

What’s more interesting is his honesty. How refreshing that he’s not cagey and overly precious about his relationship with Nicole Beharie. When asked about their situation, he not only acknowledges that they are dating but specifies the stage of their romance:

"I'm seeing Nicole, we're trying to see each other as often as possible. That's kind of difficult when she lives [in New York] and I live in England. We started talking more on the promotion thing. So, yeah, it just sort of unfolded like that."

The best part though is Fassbender’s admission that he was totally disappointed about not being nominated for an Oscar. Instead of waving it off like his proud peers, eager to never seem too eager, Michael reveals that he was led to believe that it would happen and that he could not help but feel slighted when it didn’t:

"At the beginning people [say], 'You're going to be going to the Oscars,' and you're like, 'Whatever, doesn't matter, don't think so.' But after a while it does penetrate. After a while you're like, 'Anyway, so I'm going to the Oscars...' " He laughs. "And you start to believe it. And I did. I thought I was going. And then I found out I wasn't and I was upset. I was very upset by it. The first reaction was 'What the fuck...?' " He sounds frustrated that he had let himself get sucked in. "It's a vanity thing. It does become important to you. And it shouldn't." On reflection, he decided that he had learned something about misplaced priorities. "A good little lesson."

See? There’s a way to do it without being judged for expecting it. There’s a way to say, yeah, I wanted it bad without coming across like you think you deserved it bad... Justin Timberlake. Michael Fassbender managed to be candid and humble and likeable there, all at the same time.

He is intensely NOT likeable however near the end of the article when he yells at a waiter for wanting to take his food way too quickly. Yes, it was probably annoying. We’ve all been annoyed at a restaurant, at the airport, while waiting too long at the checkout at the grocery. But shouting at a staff person the way he did? I felt as embarrassed reading it as I would have in person watching it. Like the other day on the plane when an old lady was unhappy with the dinner options - chicken or vegetarian pasta. She was freaking out because she doesn’t eat chicken on Sundays (???) and doesn’t eat pasta at all. Is this a f-cking cafeteria???

Reactions to small things can tell you a lot about a person. He snapped at a server. I’m generally wary of people who snap at strangers. It’s gross. Is that unfair?

Click here to read the full GQ interview with Michael Fassbender. Click here to see more photos. And the video shoot below.