Michael Fassbender actually never thought much of Abba. Until he experienced a stormy boat trip that greatly influenced his taste in music.
Ibiza changed Fassbender’s connection to Abba
“I never really understood the concept of Abba,” the actor admitted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Dec. 17. But as the course of the conversation showed, a trip around Ibiza provided a deeper understanding.
The 47-year-old explained: “And then we were in Ibiza. We were in Formentera, and we took a boat from Formentera to Ibiza, and it was sort of – we had a late lunch and went back at night. And it got really stormy, really bad.” The German-Irish mime said that they had to bring their small dinghy back to the main boat in order to be able to go back to Ibiza. But on the way there a storm was brewing and the group barely made it back.
“Dancing Queen” was playing during the near miss
Fassbender continued: “But the thing somehow sank and we laughed about it. Anyway, we went out in the boat and the storm came up and plates were flying and everything. We had to lock everything down, so to speak. But we had Abba in our ears.” That was the moment that changed everything for the “Shame” actor: “I held on to the boat and Abba played, and I finally understood Abba.”
He then mimicked holding onto the boat and began singing the lyrics to “Dancing Queen.” The moderator Fallon didn’t miss it and joined in right away. What did Fassbender take away from this experience? “If we have to die tonight, this is a good soundtrack to die on.”
Fassbender will soon be seen on the big screen
One of the most current projects is his role as Arlos in the musical film adaptation “Kneecap”. The film is about the origin story of the rap trio of the same name. While the film was shown in Irish cinemas in August 2024, it will only be shown on German screens from January 30, 2025.