Macbeth, embodied by Denzel Washington, does not stop with age and skin tone

Since Shakespeare created Macbeth four centuries ago, no one of Denzel Washington's caliber has portrayed him.

The star, who won two Oscars, and is considered one of the most important actors of his time, received nominations for most of the upcoming film awards for his role in "The Tragedy of Macbeth", which became available as of Friday through "Apple TV +".

The age of Denzel Washington, 67, and Frances McDormand, 64, who played Lady Macbeth, may seem like a hindrance to the birth of an heir to their kingdom.

"They are tired and old," Washington told AFP, explaining that the passing of time plays a big role in this version and pushes the two characters towards evil and madness.

He adds, "The two characters are thinking, 'Our time has come, and this is our right. Give it to us!'"

Was the actor who fights enemies with the sword twice in the movie to play this role differently twenty or thirty years ago?

"Perhaps I used my physical abilities more, and I wouldn't have been hindered by the condition of my knees at this point in my life!" Washington replies with a smile.

The fact that Denzel Washington is black, and like him, Corey Hawkins, 33, who plays his enemy in the movie Macduff, does not fit the historical context of a story supposed to take place in Scotland during the eleventh century, but this detail is not new in Macbeth's quotes.

Orson Welles, for example, made a version of the play in 1936 in which all the heroes were black.

"Certainly we are diverse and I think this is excellent," Washington says during a panel discussion with the press. "In my humble opinion, we should reach a point where we should not talk about diversity as if it were an odd thing."

"These guys, whatever their skin color, whether black, white, blue or green, are very talented and highly skilled, and that's why they've reached this stage," he says.

"I can't change my skin or my hair, but what I can do is be as good as I wasn't expected to be," Hawkins says.

"New Look" -

Producer and director Joel Coen chose to make his film in the black and white, semi-square format of the late silent cinema era, with minimal sound effects, giving the film a flavor of early Hollywood.

Film versions of "Macbeth" by directors such as Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa and Roman Polanski have previously been shown.

Washington asserts that he never saw any of these copies, but rather deliberately avoided them, so as not to think whether he would be able to make a better version of them.

The actor, whose character in "Macbeth" is calm before falling into anger, ambition, and then madness, "I did not want this to affect my performance, so I accepted the role with my imagination and a new look."

Macbeth was not the first character Washington played for Shakespeare, but he played the role of "Julius Caesar" on Broadway, and appeared in the movie "Match Do About Nothing" by Kenneth Branagh.

Corey Hawkins hopes minority boys will want to check out Shakespeare's work after seeing the other black actors in the film.

"This work might pique their curiosity," he says.

And he continues, "Yes, blacks love Shakespeare. We love him without knowing it because there are so many references to him in the songs and the cultures that we love."

"We have Shakespeare as much as everyone else," Hawkins says.

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