Trivia / Macbeth (2015)

• Ability over Appearance:
  • Although Lady Macbeth's nationality is never officially stated in the play, she's assumed to be Scottish (historically, she was). She's played by French actress Marion Cotillard Not Even Bothering with the Accent - because she's an Oscar-winning actress who is otherwise perfect for the part. The change does have a historical justification; Scotland has had many French queen consorts, making it plausible that Lady Macbeth could be French.
  • There were just three witches in the original play. The director liked the seven-year-old Amber Rissmann so much that he created a fourth witch just to accommodate her.
• Awesome, Dear Boy: Marion Cotillard had always wanted to play the role of Lady Macbeth, and this was the first time she got to read and work on a Shakespeare play in English.
• Fake Scot: Most of the major characters are portrayed by a mix of English and Irish actors, as well as an Australian actress and a French actress. More specifically:
  • Michael Fassbender (Macbeth) and Jack Reynor (Malcolm) are both Irish (the former part-German).
  • Paddy Considine (Banquo), Sean Harris (Macduff), and David Thewlis (King Duncan) are English.
  • Elizabeth Debicki (Lady Macduff) is Australian.
  • Marion Cotillard (Lady Macbeth) is French, but considering that Scotland has historically had many French queen consorts, it's actually plausible for Lady Macbeth to be French.
• The Other Marty: Natalie Portman was originally cast as Lady Macbeth but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. She was replaced by Marion Cotillard.