Simon Russell Beale discusses playing Cassius in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in this ebook taken from Shakespeare On Stage: Volume 2 - Twelve Leading Actors on Twelve Key Roles.

In each volume of the Shakespeare On Stage series, a leading actor takes us behind the scenes of a landmark Shakespearean production, recreating in detail their memorable performance in a major role. They leads us through the choices they made in rehearsal, and how the character works in performance, shedding new light on some of the most challenging roles in the canon. The result is a series of individual masterclasses that will be invaluable for other actors and directors, as well as students of Shakespeare - and fascinating for audiences of the plays.

In this volume, Simon Russell Beale discusses playing Cassius in Deborah Warner's modern-dress Julius Caesar at the Barbican Theatre, London, in 2005.

This interview, together with the others in the series (with actors such as Alan Rickman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter), is also available in the collection Shakespeare On Stage: Volume 2 - Twelve Leading Actors on Twelve Key Roles by Julian Curry, with a foreword by Nicholas Hytner.

Simon Russell Beale has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation." He worked extensively with the RSC early on his career, going on to frequently collaborate with director Sam Mendes. Since then he has received many awards for his work on the London stage, and has starred in many successful films and television series.