Michael Fassbender: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
Any actor worth their salt has to give Shakespeare a try at least once. In playing the most recent cinematic version of MacBeth Fassbender is following a laundry list of the best actors of all time: Orson Welles, Ian McKellen (again), Toshiro Mifune and er... Sam Worthington.
If he was daunted by this it didn't show on screen. MacBeth 2015 is a faithful take on the original play, which follows the bloodthirsty rise and dramatic fall of MacBeth, the soldier who wished to be King. The movie portrays MacBeth as someone suffering from severe PTSD and the death of his child.
So when some witches and Lady MacBeth whisper in his ear that he could be King if he committed one tiny act of evil hes already not in a good headspace. One of the issues that modern audiences can have with Shakespeare is the density of the language, but Fassbender is able to overcome that through the strength of his acting. His soliloquies show a performer at the top of his game as the character questions himself and his actions.
MacBeth can be a real b*stard but Fassbender makes him an understandably human one. His MacBeth may not be considered the best take on the character but he more than holds his own beside some serious competition.