Michael Fassbender looks grim & deathly on the English set of ‘Macbeth’

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Here are some photos of Michael Fassbender on the Surrey, England set of Macbeth. He’s been filming the new version of Macbeth for about a month now, although he was allowed to take some time off here and there to attend the BAFTAs, the Spirit Awards and the Oscars. He lost everywhere this year. No, he picked up a handful of critics’ awards, but his losing streak was nearly unparalleled this year, although I guess Bradley Cooper didn’t take home anything either. Ha, neither did Jonah Hill come to think of it. So Fassy’s in good company with his losing streak. I still think that he could have given Jared Leto a run for his money if only Fassy had given a sh-t. The problem was that Fassy does give a sh-t and that his big mouth got away from him and so he had to pretend not to care. Better luck next time, dude.

Anyway, as for Macbeth… God, this set looks grim. I mean, Macbeth is one of Shakepeare’s most blood-soaked plays and I guess it’s always going to be grim, but Macbeth is (I believe) one of the best-written, most compelling and most memorable of all of Shakespeare’s tragedies. It wouldn’t hurt to have a set look… I don’t know, a little bit jazzed up. This looks like it’s set during the Black Plague.

I believe Fassy will be a good Macbeth, although I might be distracted by his sketchy haircut and his weirdly trimmed beard. I’m interested in hearing his delivery of the “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” soliloquy. Speaking of, that’s what worries me – Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth. It’s either going to be interesting or it’s going to be the worst miscast ever. That being said, I do prefer the choice of Marion to the original idea for Lady Macbeth, which was Natalie Portman. Can we all agree that Portman would have been an awful Lady Macbeth?

Bonus: Paddy Considine is playing Banquo! YES.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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71 Responses to “Michael Fassbender looks grim & deathly on the English set of ‘Macbeth’”

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  1. freebunny says:

    It looks gritty, I’m not sure I’ll like it, Cotillard is overrated.

    • Kate says:

      Cotillard overrated? lol she is UNDERrated, especially in Hollywood! but at least she is not being typecast like some other foreign actresses who will only play the bombshell/sex doll of the male lead and take off their clothes for the rest of their lives (while they are young, of course!) in american movies.

      Have you really seen her films? especially the french ones? if you didn’t, so watch La Vie en Rose, Rust and Bone and The Immigrant – her best performances by far – and then tell me if she is overrated!

    • Diana says:

      I’m actually glad they replaced Portman. Hope Marion will do a good job. I really like her, although I like her better in her french speaking movies. She seemed a bit awkward in the DKR and “Inception”.

  2. Sixer says:

    Good news! I’m over my moment of madness! Fassy is back off my list, thank the lord. I don’t know what happened there.

    Still, I feel bound to say: at least he’s a BLOKE. And even though the strange fever is over, I will maintain that you’ve got this whole not campaigning thing wrong. You’re just sounding mean about it now. And the guy can ACT. And act much better than most of the men we slaver over around here.

    Not holding out that much hope for this film, though.

    Anyway. I’m off to watch the live stream of Olivier noms. Any last minute bets?

    • Sixer says:

      Goodman, Hiddlesburp, Kinnear and Law. BLIMEY. I reckon that goes to Kinnear but will enjoy the Hiddlesburp hysteria.

      • T.Fanty says:

        Hopping on your digression – that’s absolutely going to Kinnear. Nobody else stands a chance (although Lester should have been in there, too. Lovely as he is, Jude could have been switched out). I love Henry Goodman. I also heard great things about Ghosts – that should get something, I think.

    • Sixer says:

      And Gatiss! Ha. Sorry. Will stop OTing now.

    • LadySlippers says:

      Okay Sixer and other Brits, what do you mean when you say bloke? Are you asking for a non-posh boy or what?

      • MynameisPeaches! says:

        Bloke is another name for a guy. For example, Kate met this bloke ( guy) down the road and they went to the pub.

    • ali says:

      +100000

    • Sixer says:

      Bloke = masculine and not posh. Or at least, not effete posh. Bloke is the anti-Puddletom. Tom the Bloke Hardy is the archetypal bloke. Idris is a bloke.

      Blokes can be douches but it’s not a requirement. The best blokes aren’t douches.

      In my head, blokes are very good at S E X but in a bloke’s head, he is very good at S P O R T. Blokes aren’t always the brightest. Obviously my head is right. And you know, we don’t like blokes for their brains anyway. Who needs brains?

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        Tom Hardy actually comes from a relatively well to do background, his mother is an artist. He attended drama school, he is not a bit of scruff as most perceive him. He went off the rails at a young age and has a south London accent which throws people understandably though. As an Irishman (albeit born in Germany) from a humbler background and little formal training, Fassbender is far more of a bloke in my book. Hardy is a serial monogamist with kids, Fassbender is more of a a player for life.

      • T.C. says:

        Mrs. Darcy,

        Fassy isn’t untrained. He went to the same Drama school in London as Tom Hardy. If you google it there is an interview with Tom Hardy saying Fassy was one of the fellow students he looked up to cause he was so good. Fassy’s parents owned a restaurant growing up and gave both their children access to the arts. Fassy just happened to be bad at learning but he was given the same education as his sister. His sister has a PhD, is a professor at an American University. Sure he was poor and a struggling actor living in London on his own but he is not some hillbilly.

      • Size Does Matter says:

        Sixer, question for you. David Beckham = bloke?

      • Sixer says:

        David Beckham is not a bloke!

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @T.C. I never said Fassbender was a hillbilly, and I mentioned in a similiar post further down I didn’t realize his time at drama school was so long. I said he came from a humbler upbringing than Hardy, which I stand by, middle class in rural Ireland (I read perhaps incorrectly that they ran, not owned the b&b) is not the same as middle class and privately educated in London. I was mainly just trying to point out the misperception of Hardy as a “bloke” from nowhere with nothing as defined by the above post. Sheesh.

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @Sixer:

        On David Beckham at least we totally agree! 😉

      • Size Does Matter says:

        I have no idea where in the comment string this will fall. Just wanted to say I’m enjoying playing Bloke or Not a Bloke. Beckham is good at sport but too pretty to be a bloke, I’m learning. Brad Pitt = bloke?

      • T.C. says:

        @Mrs Darcy

        Apologies if my response came across harsh. I was just trying to clarify. Fassy has been getting a raw deal lately with the lack of Oscar campaigning and been called dumb. Sorry. He did poorly in school but excelled in the arts. Along with acting he can play the piano, guitar, accordion and can sing. Yes his parents owned their own restaurant in Ireland. You are right, a middle class guy from Ireland is not as well to do as a middle class guy in London.

      • Sixer says:

        @SDM – I wouldn’t call Brad a bloke. He walks the bloke talk but doesn’t really talk the bloke talk.

      • Kate says:

        @Mrs Darcy: “Hardy is a serial monogamist”

        Hardy a monogamist? lol
        Was he monogamist while he was cheating his girlfriend (and the mother of his son, a newborn at the time) with his current fiance? this a well-known fact! plus he used to slept with men during his first marriage (he mentioned that in a interview with Jonathan Ross). He also said that he can’t stand being single and he jumps from relationship to relationship because he needs attention, he’s a mama’s boy, Hardy is a not a romantic monogamist like some people think!

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Sixer and all:

        Thanks for clarifying, I knew bloke meant guy but I knew it had other connotations beyond that just didn’t know what all the other ones were.

      • Mrs.Darcy says:

        @Kate: I was aware he had overlap, wasn’t saying he was a saint, just that he is a relationship guy. Maybe his version of monogamy was sketchy in his younger years but he has been with the same woman now for quite a while and the realtionships prior were not short ones with or without the cheating. Of course I would not be surprised if he ran off with someone else, but it would be into another relationship no doubt.

    • Addison says:

      I too Sixer maintain that Michael does not give a damm about any awards. He fell for the hype when everyone told him he was gonna get a nomination for Shame and then he did not and he was mad for like a moment. After that he got over it and realized that recognition is nice but it’s not the end of everything. He is just happy doing his thing “you know”.

      It’s been interesting when I read or hear people who review movies for a living and they talk about how awesome Michael is in his different films. At first I thought it was just me, because I am a fan of his. But then when I hear others speak so highly of him it is really exciting. And you know they do so because they recognize how truly gifted he is. You can pick any five roles and put them side by side and each of them are so different many times he doesn’t even look like himself. And it’s not just his appearance, he really works on the physicality of the character and makes each one unique.

      Also Sixer I always thought a Bloke = Average Joe. At least that is the way I it was explained to me. I think Michael is an Average Joe in his behaviors. It’s like he just hangs out in his normal places even now that he is famous. By all means he is not average looking though. At least that is my opinion, because I know there are people who think he is not good looking. Oh well, my friend’s mom has a saying even to an ugly person, his/her ugly person will arrive or something like that.

      • qwerty says:

        @Size Does Matter
        I have no idea where in the comment string this will fall either. But Pitt can’t be a bloke, the man does fillers.

  3. Lucretia says:

    I love the looks of this film. The pictures from the sets on the Isle of Skye and Northumberland were gorgeous; the little “village” built in Surrey looks amazing too. Cotillard is going to be a French Lady M (historically that could happen, because of the links between Scotland and France) and I think that will give an interesting twist.
    I’m glad Fassbender didn’t waste his time campaigning–the decks were stacked against him for a lot a reasons, beginning with the Academy’s grudging, teeth-clenched response to the film. It was never going to sweep. Yes, it’s shameful that he doesn’t have an oscar and has only one nomination; I’m sure he does care, since he gives one terrific performance after another and never gets recognized. His remarks about not campaigning were woefully misinterpreted and misrepresented. For all the dissing of him on this site, he has what seems to be a strong work ethic and probably couldn’t stand the thought of spending six months in southern California doing nothing but going to cocktail parties and self-promoting. Sensible choice.

    • Sixer says:

      Marion’s going to be Marie de Guise!

    • M.A.F. says:

      I read that she was keeping her French accsent. Which is good because I don’t think her or Fassy can pull different accsents off.

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        Well Fassy has done German and English accents no problem, so I will be curious to see if he attempts Scottish. As an Irishman it shouldn’t be too hard, generally speaking the Irish are better at other British accents than the English (for example the mainly Irish cast of Game of Thrones do v. good northern English accents). I am curious about Marion’s accent though, I don’t think she will swing it.

      • M.A.F. says:

        I disagree. Fassbender just can’t pull off accents, at least from what I can tell. Listen to him in 12 Years and Shame. In Shame, he kept slipping in and out of his natural Irish accent and that is why they added the part of his character coming to America when he was a pre-teen. Same goes for 12 Years. He didn’t quite get the Southern accent down even though he had a coach. As for him being better at the English accents, no. All he does is clench down his jaw and talk through his teeth. I wouldn’t be surprise if his Macbeth doesn’t speak with a Scottish accent.

        I do agree with you on Marion. I can’t see her pulling off anything but her natural French accent.

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @M.A.F. : I haven’t seen 12 Years A Slave, which is why I didn’t mention his American accent as I can’t comment on it. I must admit I don’t remember his accent slipping in Shame but it’s very possible I might have been paying attention to other things on screen (ahem). Have you seen Prometheus? It’s pretty universally regarded as a dead on Peter O’Toole (albeit in the form of a robot imitating him), I thought he was transcendentally good in that, which I know is a cause for debate but just my opinion. I think he will attempt Scottish, someone further down mentioned he’s done it before which I haven’t seen, it’s a tricky one but I can see him going for it. I doubt Marion will attempt anything other than her natural accent, am sure they will just go with it.

    • T.C. says:

      @LUCRETIA

      +100000

      Big clap to everything you said. Fassy got nominated without campaigning. Then he made an entire movie and started a second one while everyone else was busy campaigning. I respect his work ethic. In the end he has something to show for those 4 months while most of the campaigners only have empty hands and tears.

    • Isadora says:

      +1000 to Lucretia and T.C.

      I have stopped really caring about the Oscars anyway. I mean, everybody knows by now how things are happening there (lots of connections, ass-kissing and politics).

      The funny thing is that I think Fassy doesn’t even need an Oscar. He’s a fantastic actor, has a bunch of impressive movies under his belt and I doubt he will be out of work any time soon.

  4. Red32 says:

    I actually respect him for not campaigning. The awards have gotten silly. It’s not about the performance anymore, it’s about the Weinsteins and politically correct “important” films and getting as many magazine interviews as possible in Jan. and Feb.

  5. Tig says:

    Macbeth is my fav as well. W/o meaning to invoke a storm on my head( how Shakespearean!) Polanski did a great version of Macbeth way back when.

  6. Jaderu says:

    Considering the early 11th century time period that MacBeth is set, I’d doubt that “jazzing” up the set with throw pillows would be appropriate. It was dirty and depressing.

    I have to agree with the nightmare that casting Natalie Portman would have been. I just can’t get her “snort” laugh from the (Oscars, I think it was?) I can’t see Lady MacBeth snort laughing. Maybe in the Mel Brooks version…

    • Isadora says:

      Agreed. Portman horrible – not because of snorting, but because she is such a beautiful-bland sort. Lady Macbeth has to have a more sinister quality for me.

      And yes, gritty is appropriate. And great. On a personal leven I’m looking very much forward to a bearded, dirty, bloody Fassbender. *cough*

  7. Daz London says:

    We are talking about Scotland 1000AD. Bleak was just the natural décor.

  8. Mrs. Darcy says:

    I have been slooow to get on board the Fassbender train – in fact it has come and gone it seems! I took away too much personal info. on CB that biased me a bit before judging him as an actor (which is on me, just saying, it’s easily done). I thought he was simply amazing in Shame, hot in Inglorious Basterds, mesmerizing in Prometheus. And then last week I saw Hunger. Holy mother of grim. He went into Christian Bale Machinist territory, I don’t know how he even was breathing. So seeing Matthew M. win for starving himself to nowhere near the same level, and for not even his best work in the past couple of yrs, must have rankled. He should have been nominated for Shame and Hunger and even Prometheus in my book, so the fact he didn’t go all out to win doesn’t surprise me. Why should he jump through hoops? I haven’t seen 12 Years yet, and I’m sure he’s great in it, but he has done blisteringly brave work in his short career that deserved a lot more recognition. If I were him I would have maybe distanced myself from it by now too. I’m sure he will be fantastic in MacBeth, I hope he does get recognized someday soon, in my book he deserves it way more than DiCaprio.

  9. Mrs. Darcy says:

    p.s. I live in Scotland, it totally sucks they aren’t filming this here! England’s hills can’t compete or double for Scotland imo, but Scotland is so stupid with its taxation, they film very little here. I’ve been to the real castle in Macbeth, the “real” witches’ hill is near my husband’s hometown (all Shakespearean history up for debate but the places are named and exist), anyway such a shame. They also wanted to film Game of Thrones here but went to Ireland instead because of taxes and there wasn’t a decent studio. No blue sky thinking here…

  10. Bailey says:

    I’m not sure how exactly one jazzes up a Macbeth set. I mean, it’s Macbeth.

    As for the dead horse topic of Fassy not campaigning, he did the right thing and stuck to his decision. Those who understood what he meant and interpreted his words correctly get it. Others never will.

    @Mrs. Darcy: I’m not sure what you mean by “humbler background” but Fassy’s parents owned and ran a successful restaurant for much of his childhood, adolescence and adulthood. I’m sure they weren’t suffering. Also, you mentioned Tom Hardy’s formal training and Fassbender’s lack of it. I guess you’re unaware of the fact that when Hardy arrived at acting school, Fassbender had already been training at the same school for a couple years. Tom even talked about how Michael was the best student at the school and how much respect he had for his talent back then.

    • Mrs. Darcy says:

      @Bailey Ah, I had read that Fassbender dropped out, implying to me that he wasn’t there for long. I stand slightly corrected. I don’t think it’s untrue that Hardy is commonly misperceived as some East End rapscallion who comes from nothing, though, and being wealthy in London is a whole other level than running a b&b in rural Ireland (I read they ran, not owned it, again if that was wrong thanks for the correction). Hardy was being mentioned as a bloke in defining bloke as not posh or effeminate, which Hardy is bisexual and not working class so I stand by my claim that he is not a “bloke” in that definition as he was being described.

      • Sixer says:

        Mrs D – it seems we have a slightly different definition of bloke. Yours sees bloke and rough as almost synonyms? Mine not so much. For me, bloke = not namby pamby a la Hiddles but not much more than that in terms of background. For me, technically, it’s entirely possible to be posh and blokey. Just not effete. I’d have Hardy (on my list) and Fassy (not on my list) as equally blokey.

        As a completely separate issue. I also rate Fassy very highly in terms of acting.

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @Sixer You specifically said you thought bloke meant “masculine and not posh”, I guess I didn’t glean the subtleties of “not effete posh” to include Hardy. If I misunderstood you sorry, but I stand by what I said about Hardy as, unlike your good self, many would not realize his background and to me it sounded like you did not either. Humblest flaying of self for misunderstood celebrity stereotyping! 😉

        I live in the U.K., where Hardy is considered somewhat effete/mis-representative of his image. I like him, don’t get me wrong, but there is just a whole other thing here about posh actors and musicians putting on East End accents thickly and acting like they are from da streets to gain credibility. I don’t think Hardy has done this per se, but the media certainly played up his troubled past and downplayed his respectable upbringing when he was first breaking through. Slightly off subject but maybe partially relevant and maybe influenced my original post w/out me realizing – Fassbender did go to drama school, but he dropped out and disappeared, he was not a hot young property with film roles in his twenties the way Hardy has been, he has had to graft harder and I do think of him as more of a bloke personally anyway! 😉 But that’s just my opinion, impression, etc. Tom Hardy interviews like a sensitive little poet trapped in a man’s body, I just don’t get “bloke” off of him even though I do find him hot!

        I am new on the Fassy train but I do rate him way up at the top at this moment with his peers in terms of acting. I can’t decide if he’s creepy hot or hot. Mostly creepy hot but that’s ok, I can still enjoy his work!

      • Bailey says:

        @Mrs. Darcy Yeah, his parents owned and operated it and still own the building. Killarney is also a popular vacation town with a a lot of tourist traffic so I’m not sure what you mean by “b&b in rural Ireland”. In any case, Macbeth shot scenes in Scotland last month where quite a few of the locals got to meet and take photos with Fassbender. And here’s what Hardy told Daily Beast about going to school with him.

        “He attended the prestigious Drama Centre London, where he looked up to fellow student Michael Fassbender, who was two years older than he was. “He was a really serious method actor and we used to watch him and think, ‘F–k, man! He’s the s–t!’” said Hardy. “He was in an Irish play about this guy who came back from the First World War who was a great athlete but ended up in a wheelchair, but at lunchtime he wouldn’t come out of character and was always in his wheelchair and we’d be like, ‘Dude! Just order your lunch and come along! We’ve got an hour before we have to go back to class!’” Hardy laughs and adds, “But he was the best actor in the school.”

      • Sixer says:

        Mrs D – I am also in the UK. And maintain that Hardy is the epitome of Bloke! 😉

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @Bailey – Fair enough, I wasn’t in any way trying to imply Fassbender was from the slums – I simply said he was from a “humbler” background than Hardy, which may or may not be up for disagreement. I would still say that Hardy being privately educated (pre drama school) in one of the most expensive cities in the world would sway him being “posher” to me, but at this point I feel I’ve said all I can say on the subject. They are both good actors, I think Fassbender has displayed more depth but wouldn’t be surprised if Hardy continues on to more acclaim in future. It’s weird to imagine them at drama school together, Fassbender just seems so much older. They took different paths but have both ended up successful, personally I prefer Fassbender’s body of work at this point, but I’m not that big on Christopher Nolan.

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @Sixer – ok we can agree to disagree! 😉 Are you British? I am an American in the U.K. so have an admittedly weird/atypical perspective. Who else would you think of as a bloke? Daniel Craig? My problem with “actorly” actors is maybe stemming from being a former (wannabe) actor, just none of the guys I was at school with were blokes, at all. It takes a lot for me to think of an actor as a bloke. Like Sean Connery for sure is a bloke. Michael Caine is a bloke.

      • Sixer says:

        I am British.

        I think, for HOT MAN purposes, a bloke is simply all-round masculine, without a hint of the metrosexual (eg Beckham) or effete/Hallmarkish (eg Puddletom) about him. He’s also down to earth/earthy and not pretentious or intellectual (eg Franco, Benny the Photoshop, etc etc).

        But for NON HOT MAN purposes, a bloke is just everyman. Joe Public.

        So you can be a nice bloke but still not a hot BLOKE. You can also be a hot BLOKE but not a nice bloke. Well, that’s in my little world, anyway!

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        @Sixer: Ah…I agree generally w/your definition. My general personal tastes veer away from average bloke but not quite into Hiddleston territory. But hot bloke changes the dynamic, the parameters widen 😉 For example, Jason Statham, hot bloke…but what about, say, Liam Neeson? He’s hot, and I would say a bloke, but also has depth. Is he a super bloke or just transcending bloke altogether? 🙂

      • Sixer says:

        Jason Statham makes my skin crawl but I agree he’s a bloke.

        Liam Neeson is a bloke godfather!

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        I like it! btw I am thoroughly ashamed of the Jason Statham thing, it goes against every facet of most men I fancy, but I can’t deny it. I blame those g-d d**ned shirtless kung fu moves, it’s futile, the horrible squeaky voice, the deadly bad acting, I have tried and failed to resist the Statham. Neeson’s silly hot rescue films I can almost justify due to him being amazing before this phase, but as with Mindy in the Mindy Project :”Is there a Liam Neeson revenge film out? She’s there!” The shame of it all…

      • Sixer says:

        I have two pre-teen sons, so I have every excuse to watch Taken and the lost in the snow thing (title escapes me) with total cover. I love Liam.

      • Mrs. Darcy says:

        Ooh I still need to see that one…are there wolves? And the latest one. I cannot resist Liam in all his schlocky glory.

      • paradise says:

        I agree with Sixer, I think Hardy is a bloke. I think he railed vs his middle upper middle class upbringing from the womb.

        I read that the drama school, the Drama Centre, that Hardy and Fassbender went to, and they both got gigs in Band of Brothers, oddly enough,
        http://www.kulfoto.com/pic/0001/0029/b/533Nf28906.jpg

        is known for being a very very tough drama school. A school for blokes, as it were. Colin Firth is another graduate of that school.

      • paradise says:

        The non-blokes would have gone to RADA, maybe.

      • paradise says:

        Mrs. Darcy Fassbender and Hardy have indeed taken different paths but that is what makes more interesting. I personally prefer the path taken by Hardy but we all benefit because I just enjoy watching actors and actresses with real passion for the craft and giving it 100 per cent.

        I admit too that I will watch Jason Statham movies because you know he was very good in Snatch which makes one wonder if Jason has got more to give and he is holding out, acting wise and he does a good job within the genre he has decided to keep himself in. His one foray outside of it was a disaster, Revolver, so I can see why he’d be too afraid to go out of the comfort zone. He didn’t go to drama school, did he?

      • Mrs.Darcy says:

        @paradise : I agree both Hardy and Fassy’s career paths are valuable and interesting, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. And I am sorry but there is no such thing as a drama school for blokes 😉 I went to drama school in college and post grad in NYC, I can count the number of blokes I met on less than one hand. So I am admittedly biased. Male actors are usually vain, narcissistic little hams. The good ones anyway. The very bad ones are just dumb guys who presume acting is easy and a shortcut to fame and fortune. Once in a blue moon you get a bloke. They are rare as diamonds though!

        I agree Tom Hardy has an essence of bloke about him, his tattoos, muscles, performance style, etc. But he most reminds me of Marlon Brando, and I think neither at heart were/are blokes. There’s an inner shyness and softness to them imo that rules out being a through and through bloke. If you watch interviews w/Hardy (maybe not all but I’m thinking of talk show interviews he did w/Jonathan Ross, etc.), he just seems like a big softie. Did you see him with that puppy on set? He wanted to eat that puppy! Not saying blokes can’t have a soft side, but my idea of bloke doesn’t include this level of sensitivity. (For me it is a good thing, I am not a bloke girl really). And sorry but on no planet is Colin Firth a bloke! 😉

        Acc. to Wiki Statham has little acting training, he fell into it from modelling. (He was cast as a non-model model). He also was a young athlete and national team diver (I had read this before). His upbringing is far more bloke than any of the above mentioned, his dad was a market seller and he grew up with the notoriously brutal football player Vinnie Jones. I do think he has a sensitivity though, not saying he is a great actor but I wouldn’t find him watchable if there wasn’t a little something there, I was maybe a bit harsh on him before. He is believable in the romantic scenarios of his films, far more so than many action stars. He’s kind of like a more appealing Bruce Willis, maybe not quite the comedic sarcacm but he is very likeable onscreen.

    • Maria says:

      I agree.

      Macbeth isn’t suppose to be bright, it’s grim, but some folks just want to bitch for the sake of bitching-especially because it’s Fassy.

      I’m excited about this film.

      Also, I don’t care about the campaigning and neither did he, people need to get over it.

    • Mrs. Darcy says:

      .

  11. Bailey says:

    Fassbender has done a Scottish accent before in a film called Wedding Belles. It won’t be something new for him in Macbeth.

  12. Isadora says:

    At first I also thought it strange that Cotillard will be a French Lady Macbeth. But really, do I care? No. It’s historically not unexplainable, she’s a great actress and I’m generally over the moon to see Fassbender (over whom I’ve been salviating for the last 8 years – yes, even before he was really famous) in Macbeth!!! Damn, it’s probably my favourite Shakespeare play and I love them all. So my hopes are high. No, that’s not right. I’m in a constant state of ecstasy and can’t wait for this film. Aaah….

  13. Corn on the cob says:

    I agree with @Bailey. Its MacBeth and its dark. I’ve seen a few stage versions in London as well as on film and they are always so dark.

    But more importantly, Fassy is looking not only a little haggard but also a little portly, no? Maybe he should quit the smoking…..and the Madalina.

  14. paradise says:

    I agree that Cotillard is under-rated and I have hopes that she can pull it off. We will see. Lady MacBeth needs to be a ball buster at first then credibly fall apart later. I would have loved to have seen Judy Davis, the Australian actress play Lady M on film. She has the right combination of ballsy and vulnerable along with Shakespearean training. But alas she rarely works anymore and probably would be considered too old or not big enough box office draw as if most Shakespearean adaptations pull in a lot of money. I like the bleak ethereal stage sets I am seeing. Scotland was pretty bloody bleak in that time period and we got witches come on.

  15. Oh please! says:

    Please note. I am from London in the UK Hardy and Fassbender are most definately not “blokes”. They’re not work class. Elba is a “bloke”. To be a true “bloke” you have to come from a working class background and not give off an arty farty air , which Hardy and Fassbender do.