Denzel Washington talks with Infobae about “The Tragedy of Macbeth”: “We have to meet William Shakespeare, we need to reach his level”

Denzel Washington has been a part of the Hollywood industry for decades. His voice and smile led him to perform various roles with excellent talent, and he always knew how to move effortlessly. He was involved in comedies, dramas, action films, wars. It seems that there can be nothing wrong if Washington was in the movies. Now he has embarked on a new challenge - to participate in a new film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play “Macbeth”. Under the title of The Tragedy of Apple TV+ by Macbeth, Denzel writes and directs this novel, Joel Coen.

The central story of Macbeth captures the ambitions of a Scottish lord influenced by three witches. They persuade him to become King of Scotland. This version of Coen was shot in black and white.

This is the first time Joel acts without his brother Ethan, and he usually works side by side. “Ethan didn't want to make movies anymore. He seems happy with what he has just done. Both have a lot of unproduced scripts lined up on the shelves, but I don't know what Joel would do without it.” Said the composer Carter Burwell, who has accompanied Coens for many years.

Washington plays Macbeth, the protagonist of the play, who has been nominated for a new Oscar (he has already given ten credits) and tries to add a third ancestor to the two statues that have already won I will. The first Oscar won the Glorious Best Supporting Actor Award (Times of Glory, 1989), and the second- Education Day for Major Role (2001 Training Day ).

In this film, Francis McDormand (who is also a film director), Bertie Cavell, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Joined the cast of Brendan Gleeson.

Through communication with Infobae, Denzel talked about this new nomination and the advice he would give to the new actor.

How important is it to appear at the Oscars again after being nominated so many times?

- I was lucky enough to be nominated 10 times and now I am nominated for Best Picture. I've seen everything, and I've seen everything how this show can go. It's that simple. Just go and have a good time. That's it.

-I'm African-American and to follow in the footsteps of the great Sidney Poitier when he wins his second Oscar and today it was nominated for the 10th time. What's it like to be someone who sees Sydney the same way people see it?

I've seen a lot of his movies lately. Especially I've been with Covid for the past 2 years and I'm not sure if I'm similar to the person. I don't think about myself that way. I'm trying to share what I know from my own experience. In this film, I talked a lot with Corey (Hawkins) and Alex (Hassel), but I see myself as “Young Me.” I'll only share what I know. My role is to share what I've learned and answer questions about it.

One of your great movies was Glory. What if you could give some advice to a young Denzel who is just starting out in the Oscar-winning industry?

-What I want to say is what I actually did. That is, they are learning to act on stage (theater), not in movies. That's what I'm talking to young actors now. It's a place to get on stage and learn how to act. Cinema is the means of the director, and theater is the means of the actor, so it is not possible to learn from a humble point of view. If you look at the list of winners in recent years, almost everyone has theatrical experience if you're lucky.

What are you looking for in your career during this special time? What role do you decide to play?

What I want now is to lose 40 pounds. If you look at me in Italy, I'm going to shoot Equalizer 3 and visit Naples, Positano and a few other places, so I have a big challenge in front of me (laughs). But there is a saying that “without commitment, you will never start, and without constancy you will never end.” So I'm interested in maintaining my mind, body and spirit all the time for the rest of my life.

What was it like to compose this new version of Macbeth?

- It took me a year to meet Joel (Cohen) who never played Macbeth and get his vision. That's what I was thinking to achieve my performance. I have to meet William Shakespeare, and I need to get to his level. We've all done so I think if we approach it with the right humility, determination, and effort, it will be completely fulfilled. When I started reading Shakespeare in college, it was full. I'm much more full now because I didn't feel good about what I did. It means that we can always do more or look at it in a different way. I want to go back to more roles than any role I've ever played.

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