Speaker 1: (00:00)
Joel Cohens. The tragedy of Macbeth starts streaming tomorrow on apple TV, plus K PBS film critic, Beth Amando placed the film on her top 10, 4, 20 21. She had an opportunity to speak with two of the actors to gain insight into what kind of a director Joel Cohen is and how he brought this play to the screen.
Speaker 2: (00:22)
McBeth is Shakespeare's swift display. It moves with ferocious energy as it follows the downfall of the title character in Joel Cohen's film adaptation. The character is presented as a victim of both fate and his own bad choices. Supernatural forces lay tempting promises before him, but he chooses to take the actions that force him down an increasingly narrow path. One of the interesting supporting characters in the play is Ross. Who's listed in the stage directions as a Scottish nobleman. He's a character who can simply be the bringer of news, both good and ill as he's described in the play, or he can be given more agency depend on the staging Cohen and actor, Alex Hassell collaborated to make this Ross a fascinating player in Macbeth's tragedy.
Speaker 3: (01:10)
I have to say, when I first read the script, I was extremely excited by the idea of this different Ross, knowing the play very well. But I had no idea what Joe was intending, what Ross's gender was, what his sort of function in the story was. It wasn't something that one could immediately kind of understand. And I think indeed, that's what we wanted to keep. We wanted the audience to not fully fathom what his agenda is, what he's trying to do to people, you know, what he wants. I think that's part of the pleasure of the character, but it meant that I had, I had the great honor and pleasure of collaborating with Joel, trying to work out what this, this version of Ross was and why, what he does to the story and the sort of tension of the story. It was a, yeah, a great, great gift. And I think for people who know the play and watching the film, it creates a whole different sort of vein of tension through the film in a way that kind of pays off brilliantly, especially when the latter part of the playoff and is harder to keep tense because it kind of jumps between loads of different scenes. And I think this is a useful sort of tool in that respect as well. So
Speaker 2: (02:17)
What kind of director is Joel Cohen? Uh, he seems a bit of a mystery from us on the outside, but um, how does he work with you and, and what kind of specific direction did he give you about playing Ross?
Speaker 3: (02:27)
Well, we rehearsed for three weeks, which was an amazing unusual situation. And I'd say necessary in a film, uh, in which you are using this language. So he, it, it, he's very, very open and very, very collaborative. He is obviously has, is in immensely intelligent and, and has a, a very clear vision and really understands how to use the tools of cinema to tell a story, of course, but is a very collaborative in terms of how you, you create the character together. We would mainly chat and then we'd do some scenes and then we'd both think about it. And then he'd say, you know, he could be, he, he doesn't have to not be sexy. And I was like, oh, wow. Really? I mean, I never, that not been in any way thinking I, okay. Okay. And then, uh, you know, we'd do it a bit more and he'd say, have you considered that he could have these qualities, it would often be about qualities that he should have, but also we talk quite dramatically in terms of, this is the new information that the audience receive here. So in the next scene, what if we just completely do the opposite of that or, or seem as if none of that was the case so that you are constantly meeting in the character newly and therefore can't kind of quite get a grasp on who he is and what his agenda is. So I thought much more from a director's point of view than I did from a sort of subjective character's point of view
Speaker 2: (03:52)
In this scene. Ross brings tragic news to another nobleman. McDuff played by Corey Hawkins.
Speaker 4: (03:59)
Your castle is surprised your wife and babes savagely slaughtered to relate the
Speaker 5: (04:05)
Manner
Speaker 4: (04:07)
Were on the quarry of this murdered dear to have the death of you,
Speaker 5: (04:12)
My children, too,
Speaker 4: (04:15)
Wife, children, servants, all that could be found. Mom, wife
Speaker 5: (04:22)
Killed two. I have said
Speaker 4: (04:24)
Be
Speaker 6: (04:24)
Comforted. Let's make us medicines of our great revenge to cure this deadly
Speaker 5: (04:30)
Grief. Yes, no children, all I pretty ones. Did you say all okay. All what, all my pretty chickens in the in one fell SWO, this beauty like a I shall do so, but I must also feel it as a man,
Speaker 2: (04:55)
As with hassle Hawkins has performed Shakespeare on stage and on film before he was surprised by his, for discussions about the role with Cohen.
Speaker 7: (05:03)
One of our very first conversations. I remember him saying, you probably know more about this than I do and of course it's very sort of disarming and, and it just shows the humility because of course, I don't know more about it than he does, but just the fact that he trusted, you know, me to come in there and do what my version of Mac Duff was. And he, he trusted that I could come in there and, and, and, and hold my weight with this incredible cast. And, and so I appreciate the faith that he sort of put that he put in, in me, just the collaboration throughout the entire process was just, it's incredible. It's a dream. And
Speaker 2: (05:48)
What kinda director is Joel? I think he's,
Speaker 7: (05:52)
He's just incredibly collaborative. He's a visionary in that. Joel. I remember the very first look book that he, he gave us in terms of what the film would, would look like, what it was, you know, just, just early, early, you know, imaginings of, of what it would ultimately the vision would ultimately be. And now that it's done looking back on it, it looks, I, I I'm literally, I was going back through it not too long ago. And I was like, not much has changed here. Like it really actually is, is, uh, as true to, to look, but that's, that's just the sign of, again, a great director, a great collaborator. The fact that Joel is taking the opportunity to, into Shakespeare, to dive into this world is in and of itself. Incredible. He doesn't have to do that. You know, he, he, he has a legacy. He has, you know, opportunities to, he can write, you know, so, so the choices that he made to actually go this where this route are the marks of someone who's continuing take risks and continuing to, to sort of expand. And those are the kind of people that you wanna work with, you know, cuz that's, it's gonna, you know, it's gonna, you're gonna get something at the end of it and it's a risk you're taking. And thankfully, you know, we got something great out of this one. And what did
Speaker 8: (07:15)
You particularly like about playing
Speaker 7: (07:17)
McDuff love that he is a good man. He's a good man. And sometimes it's really thrilling to, to play the villain, you know, cause they're fun. You know, they, they they're good characters, but there was something just appealing about the opportunity to go inside the mind of, of, of this man and, and, and what his sense of duty was his morality, his virtue, it's, it's a lot. And, and it takes a lot to, to be that kind of person. You sort of wish. I, I sort of wish that I had those qualities. We try to emulate those qualities, you know, but thankfully I get to play 'em on screen.
Speaker 8: (07:57)
Well, thank you very much and you for your time. Thank you.
Speaker 1: (08:01)
That was Beth. Amando speaking with actors, Corey Hawkins and Alex Hassel. The tragedy of McBeth starts streaming tomorrow on apple TV. Plus you can hear the full interviews next week on Beth's cinema junkie podcast.
