(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Michael Fassbender found being naked on the set of his newest film "awkward" at times.

Michael stars alongside Carey Mulligan in upcoming erotic drama Shame. The film follows the intense sexual exploits of young Manhattan siblings.

Michael portrays sex addict Brandon in the feature. Exhibiting full frontal nudity in several scenes throughout the film was not as challenging as Michael initially suspected.

"You know, it's always awkward getting naked and masturbatingwell, simulating it at leastwith a bunch of strangers in the room," Michael told E! Online at the Shame screening in Los Angeles Thursday night. "But you gotta get over that and get on with the telling of the story."

The sex scenes are so extreme in the film it was allotted an NC-17 rating. Michael believes that all of the copulation was essential in expressing the movie's true message.

"The scenes where there are sexual encounters with the characters are so important in terms of where [my character Brandon's] at and what his mental state is," Michael explained. "It's not about titillation and exploitation."

Still, Michael is not fully comfortable with allowing both his parents to see the film. His father viewed it previously at the Venice Film Festival this year, but his mother was not in attendance.

"My mom was supposed to be there, but thank God, her back played up at the last minute. I think it was psychosomatic. Throughout the movie, I was thinking, thank God my mother's not here."

Shame will be released in the UK on January 13 2012. (C) Cover Media