softer, kinder, perhaps weaker side. Someone like Marlon Brando, as he was in the early stages of his career, would I think be perfect. He had the physical prowess, which could become threatening and brooding, but he also had a vulnerability about him.

As for Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, her character must be played by someone who can turn on the charm in public, and yet be merciless and cruel in private. Lady Macbeth also descends into something like madness towards the end of the play, so the actor who plays Lady Macbeth must be able to convincingly portray a full range of emotions. Marion Cotillard I think did an excellent job of portraying this full range of emotions in the 2015 adaptation of the play. I also think Angelina Jolie would be an interesting choice. In Girl Interrupted, Jolie played a girl struggling with her own demons, and she also can be very charming and charismatic, as any Lady Macbeth would have to be to persuade her husband to commit murder.

King Duncan doesn't have a very big part in the play in terms of the time he spends on stage, and he is a relatively two-dimensional character. He is a good, noble, king. His kindness serves to emphasize Macbeth's villainy. Any actor playing the part of King Duncan would need to convey his simple kindness, without a trace of anything sinister behind it. For me, James Stewart would have been a good choice. He was the master of portraying the simple, honest, and kind character.

Macduff and Banquo are similar characters. Both are noble and brave. The actors chosen to play these characters should be able to coney that bravery and nobility. Macduff ends up as the hero of the play, the one who, with Malcolm, leads an army against and then kills the tyrant Macbeth, and so he should be played by someone with an imposing physical presence. Banquo's main role in the play is as a ghost to haunt Macbeth, so the actor to play Banquo needn't be as physically imposing as the actor to play Macduff.

Over the years, in different adaptations, the witches, including Hecate, have been played by a range of different actors, from actors young enough to play them as schoolgirls, to actors old enough to convey the more stereotypical 'old hag' representation of the witches. For me, the older actors are much better at conveying the world-weary, sickly, hunched over, shuffling appearance which I think the witches should have. I would, therefore, choose older women for these parts. Perhaps Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith and Vanessa Redgrave.

Lady Macduff is a relatively minor character in the play. She comes across in the play as rather cold and distant, and speaks cruelly about Macduff to their young son. She doesn't last long in the play before she is murdered. The actor to play Lady Macduff would probably be a lesser known actor, but someone old enough to play the cold, distant wife, and the cold, cruel mother. Perhaps this part would be a great cameo appearance for Glenn Close.

Malcolm is the character who at the end of the play takes the throne after Macbeth's death. The actor to portray him should, therefore, be able to look regal. He should also be likable, as it's important that the audience realize how much better a king he will be than Macbeth. Malcolm is also quite a clever character. Midway through the play he tests Macduff by feigning his own unsuitability to be king. He is also brave and determined. It is he, after all, who gathers an army to fight Macbeth. The actor to play Malcolm should, accordingly, be able to convey this cleverness, and this resolve. Perhaps a young John Malkovich would have fit the bill.

I think Johnny Depp might be a good Macbeth.  He seems to impress me every time he performs.  You need depth and intelligence to play this role, especially in the case of a film but also on stage.  I don't personally know if Depp has performed on stage.

What a great question! I have done the same project with my own students when reading Macbeth.

After seeing Patrick Stewart play Macbeth, I could not see anyone else play the role.

As for the witches, given that Hocus Pocus is one of my favorite "witch" movies, I think that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy would make great witches.

I think I might cast Meryl Streep as Lady Macbeth, simply because she seems to be able to inhabit any role she undertakes. Her new movie about Margaret Thatcher, for instance, is getting mixed reviews, but there is almost universal praise for Streep's performance.  In fact, there is almost always universal praise for any performance by Streep. If he were younger, I might cast Antony Hopkins as Macbeth.

Wow, this is a great question that can produce a variety of answers depending on an individual's taste!

Malcom - For this role, we need an actor young enough to play the frightened son who flees but old enough to eventually reclaim the throne.  I hate it when this role is cast with someone much too old. I would choose Asa Butterfield.  He is a young-looking fifteen-year-old who has starred in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Hugo.

Donalbain - Donalbain has to be younger than Malcolm.  This, too, is a minor role, so I would choose Chandler Canterbury.  He is around 13 years old and worked with Nicolas Cage in Knowing and as a young Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button.

Banquo - Banquo is a contemporary of Macbeth, so he should be in his late 20's or early 30's.  Joseph Gordon Levitt is 29 years old and is an accomplished actor.  His boyish looks and air of kindness and honestly would make him a great choice for Banquo.  

Hecate - Helena Bonham Carter is a superbly talented actress who has proven herself in both Shakespeare and in popular film genres.  She did a wonderful job as Ophelia in Hamlet and as bizarre characters in the Harry Potter movies and in Alice in Wonderland. She would pull off a scary, creepy Hecate any day.

5) Fleance - Fleance is the youngest character listed here, and I have cast his father as Joseph Gordon Levitt.  He must be old enough to accompany his father on a journey but young enough to be incredibly vulnerable.  CJ Adams from The Odd Life of Timothy Green seems to be a perfect fit.  

6) Lennox - Lennox is basically a supporting role, so Chris Cooper is my choice here.  He has worked in successful supporting roles in a long list of movies that include Seabiscuit, Syriana, and the Bourne series.  He also appeared in a Shakespeare adaptation of The Tempest.

7) Ross - In some film versions Ross is implied to be working with Macbeth.  Henry Cavill is a British actor with a scruffy look that could play this role well.  I loved him as Charles Brandon in The Tudors.

You can find photos and more information about these actors at the webside listed below.