Patrick Stewart has reflected on the intensity of playing Macbeth on stage for a year, between 2007 to 2008.
The actor earned rave reviews for his role as Shakespeare’s Scottish general, which ended on Broadway exactly 365 days after the first preview in Chichester.
In a new interview, Stewart admitted he had “difficult patches”, including a period in New York where performing the play took “everything he had”.
“I would end the show emotionally exhausted, go straight home and drink alcohol until I passed out. I’d sleep for a good many hours and then find that, by about four in the afternoon, there were little stirrings of, ‘You’re going to play this great role again in a few hours,’” he told The Guardian.
“And I’d know it would end with me being f***ed in a few hours. But it was the only way I could find to do it. And I think that year opened up new possibilities for me. Everything has to count; it’s not just fun any more.”
The 81-year-old said the experience taught him that “I have to stop and take a break”.
Stewart is currently promoting the second series of Star Trek: Picard, in which he stars as an older Captain Picard.
Season two of Picard debuts in the US on 3 March on Paramount Plus. In the UK, the series is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.
