Michael Fassbender created his "own world" when he was a child.

The actor was born in Germany and grew up in Ireland. Michael didn't have many friends his age when he was younger, so often relied on his vivid imagination for entertainment.

"I think it started perhaps when I was very young, like, you know, four or five years old, and all the kids in my direct neighbourhood were about three or four years older than me," he told the February issue of GQ. "I spent a lot of time with my own imagination and creating my own sort of world."

The 34-year-old hunk loved spending his childhood in the Irish countryside. He enjoyed playing fantasy games and used to pretend trees were spaceships. Michael's parents allowed him to "roam freely" and he relished being so independent.

"It was like, Off you go, as long as you're back here at 5.30pm for dinner, you can do whatever you want,' and so there was a great freedom to that. There was a lot of inspiration around a lot of space. And Ireland as well, there's a great tradition of storytelling," he said.

The star can currently be seen in the drama Shame.

Michael plays a sex addict in the movie, which is directed by Steve McQueen. His performance has attracted a huge Oscar buzz, but the actor refuses to tempt fate by taking anything for granted.

"I try not to think about it," he explained.