Expanding into more theaters this weekend is one of the best films of the year: director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave. Based on Solomon Northup’s autobiography of the same name, the true story chronicles his twelve-year journey as an educated and married free man from New York who was abducted in 1841 and forced into slavery for over a decade. The film is absolutely one of the best of the year and features powerful performances by the whole cast, especially Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong’O, and it will be a major player in this year’s awards race. For more on the film, read Matt’s review.

At the recent New York City press day, I landed an exclusive video interview with Fassbender. He talked about how McQueen’s movies always feel real and the scenes and characters believable, and what is it like to have so many people loving the movie. He also talked about what he collects as well as future projects like the Prometheus sequel, confirmed that filming on Assassin’s Creed begins next year, and attempted to come up with a good tease for fans regarding X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hit the jump to watch and make sure to see 12 Years a Slave as soon as you can.

Michael Fassbender: