6. Michael Fassbender (Shame, 2011)
Michael Fassbender is the Irish-German hunk currently revelling in his role as Magneto in the X-Men series. Being chosen to play a young Ian Mckellen is certainly an accolade enough and quite a sign of trust in Fassbender's abilities as a leading man - built upon his stellar performances in 12 Years A Slave, Prometheus, Inglourious Basterds, 300 and Frank to name but a handful of the many and varied roles he has mastered. An honourable mention must be given to Steve McQueen's Hunger, in which Fassbender takes the title role of Sands. Although there are some risqué scenes, they are all distressing and emotionally powerful. Fassbender plays the part of Bobby Sands, an inmate of Long Kesh Prison in County Antrim, Ireland, who starved himself for sixty six straight days in an attempt to be recognised as a political prisoner along with his fellow irishmen arrested during The Troubles, the conflict between the British Government and Irish activists. A hugely complex and still raw political subject, it should suffice to say that this is a film you must see. To credit the depth and power this film displays, ten full minutes lapse before a single word is uttered on screen, and it is a perfect choice. Back onto happier (relatively) thoughts, Michael Fassbender appeared in the British drama also cowritten and directed by Steve McQueen Shame. Shame is a darker than most entry compared to the others on this list, but stands out as different take on the exploration of the sex addict than previous entry Black Snake Moan and this time features a male going strong in the risqué role. Handled with aplomb and certainly worth the watch if you feel strong enough, Shame is risqué in all the wrong ways we love to see.