Michael Fassbender has said he feels privileged to take on the iconic role of Macbeth, adding that he thinks every actor should get to do it once in their career.
Fassbender has taken on the title role in the latest big screen adaptation of Shakespeare's classic, opposite Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, and told The Telegraph, "I think every actor should do it once. And the opportunity to have a go is a great privilege."
For the unfamiliar, the plot is as follows; Macbeth, a duke of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
The 38-year old actor remembers studying Macbeth at secondary school in Killarney, where his family had moved from the German city of Heidelberg when he was two years old. Shakespeare’s words were "alien… but it was no wonder, because we read it like a novel, and it’s supposed to be on its feet," he said.
"Innovation comes through restriction," he remarked about the lack of a lavish budget for Macbeth. "And while on a big film you've got all the options in the world open to you, on a small film even getting it made is a hard thing. I love how fast you have to work – that pressure of having to get it right in one take or not at all."
Macbeth is slated for release on October 2.
