“NOW, DON’T GET me excited here!’ Denzel Washington says with a laugh, as our conversation veers onto God and Macbeth. He’s a big fan of both. “So, I don’t know if Macbeth followed God at the start…” He pauses. “Shoot. Hang on.” He disappears to root around his home. “You’ve got me breaking out my script!” he says, beaming. “I don’t think I’ve ever done this before.”
What follows is remarkable—and something I’ve not experienced in almost two decades of interviewing. For nearly ten minutes I’m treated to a personal performance from a man acclaimed as the greatest actor of his generation, and a master class in how he played one of Shakespeare’s greatest roles.
Washington leafs through his script, muttering lines. “Weird sisters… Where was it? Scorched earth… ‘Oh full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!’” More leafing. It feels as though I’m taking part in an immersive theatre
