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I think there is this huge hole in Shakespeare that you do not know why Macbeth is who he is.

Maybe because I'm a nice and sweet person in life, I like the darker roles. The really dark one is Lady Macbeth.

I was in a production of 'Macbeth.'

In the theatre, if you say 'Macbeth', all the actors will start looking very anxious. I'm so well-trained not to say it in the theatre that I can hardly say it in normal life.

The most likely explanation is the most practical. 'Macbeth' is a very popular play with audiences. If you want to sell out a theater, just mount a production of 'Macbeth'. It's a short play, it's an exciting play, it's easy to understand, and it attracts great acting.

When you're a young man, Macbeth is a character part. When you're older, it's a straight part.

There is some reason, obviously, that you are drawn to your material, but the way in which you explore it might come to be quite different from what you would expect.

With Shakespeare, because you invest so much time in working on material, it always sort of stays with you to some degree.

We're very lucky, men, that there are these fabulous parts. Women - once you've done all the parts in Shakespeare, they start running out. So you can pick and choose and find something to energise you.

I think 'Macbeth' was a play that I've always gotten so much out of. My wife played Lady Macbeth in a play, and I designed it. There are things in there that are just kind of extraordinary.