When one thinks of William Shakespeare ‘s « Macbeth, » performances by legendary actors like Ian McKellen , Patrick Stewart and Orson Welles likely come to mind.
But that didn’t …
When one thinks of William Shakespeare ‘s « Macbeth, » performances by legendary actors like Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Orson Welles likely come to mind. But that didn’t intimidate Denzel Washington, who confesses he’d never seen a production of the play before taking on the lead role in Joel Coen’s black and white « The Tragedy of Macbeth » (now in select theaters and streaming on Apple TV+ Friday). As a result, the Oscar-winning actor says he felt the freedom to « break all the rules. » « Thankfully, I didn’t have a preconceived notion because I didn’t study it, so I didn’t come into (« Macbeth ») thinking I knew what people should get from it, » he says. « That’s really not the actor’s place. I’m there to interpret the role. You’ll get from it what you bring to it. It’s not for me to say how you should feel about something. » According to Washington, the enduring power of « Macbeth » lies in its exploration of universal human truths. « Its themes keep rearing their ugly head over and over again: corruption and power and greed. And all the things we love. » How does Washington’s performance stack up against the slew of « Macbeth » films that have come before it? Here are eight versions of the timeless Shakespearean tragedy, ranked: Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington: Read USA TODAY’s rare joint interview with the Hollywood icons « Maqbool, » directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, loosely adapts the Scottish tragedy to the seedy criminal underworld of Mumbai. Led by the late actor Irrfan Khan, the 2003 film is full of bloody scenes, but tepid pacing dampens its overall impact. « Macbeth » gets a mafia makeover in this 1991 gory crime thriller directed by William Reilly. John Turturro stars as Mike Battaglia, a ruthless gangster based on Macbeth, who whacks the head of the mafia to ascend to power. Stanley Tucci also stars as Mal – a version of Malcolm, the rightful heir to Scotland. It’s a fine film, with some cheeky nods to the original text (like naming the Banquo character Bankie Como), but doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
