Denzel Washington on the pressure of acting in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

Denzel Washington (left) and Frances McDormand in 'The Tragedy Of Macbeth'. Photo: Handout

Denzel Washington portrays one of William Shakespeare's most famous characters in The Tragedy Of Macbeth, a new adaptation of the 400-year-old play the Oscar winning actor says he had never seen staged before.

The Hollywood star plays the titular role in Joel Coen's black and white film version of the tragedy about a Scottish general who, spurred on by his wife, commits murder to access the throne.