Michael Fassbender's director had to convince him to live on an isolated island for five weeks for The Light Between Oceans.
Initially, the actor was not keen to relocate to a lighthouse 90 minutes away "from any living person" with just director Derek Cianfrance, co-star Alicia Vikander and a 12-person crew. But by the end of the shoot, the filmmaker had to "literally pull him from the location".
Cianfrance told the Hollywood Reporter: "I remember when I first presented that idea to Michael and he asked if it was really necessary. I told him, 'Michael I fought so many battles to allow us to do this. This is a gift I am giving you. More than any type of direction, I can give you this experience. So, please give it a shot.'
"And he goes 'Okay, I'll give it one night.' And then flash forward five weeks later and I had to literally pull him from the location."
Cianfrance admitted he always had Fassbender in mind to play the lead, Tom, and said Vikander was the perfect actress to star opposite him in the movie about a childless couple who find a baby in a boat that washes up on their island.
"I kind of thought about Michael as Tom all along. I always thought that Michael was like a mental giant in movies. But I had never seen his heart, so when I met with him I wanted to understand what his heart was about.
"Then I had to find someone that would match with him. For Isabelle, I told my casting director that I needed to find (someone like) Gena Rowlands from A Woman Under the Influence or Vivien Leigh from Gone with the Wind ... And my casting director said, 'You need to meet Alicia.'"
