Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance as Scar in Disney's The Lion King remake was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
The plot of Disney's 1994 animated classic, which has been remade with photorealistic CGI, strongly resembles that of another Shakespeare play, Hamlet.
However, Ejiofor had another of the playwright's tragedies in mind when recording his lines as The Lion King's villain, the brother of pride leader Mufasa, who kills his sibling and blames it on his nephew Simba.
"I kept thinking of Macbeth's line, 'For Banquo's issue I have filed (defiled) my mind,'" he tells British newspaper The Times, referring to a scene in which Macbeth realises he has murdered the King, but the children of another murdered nobleman, Banquo, will rule in the long-term. "Scar has filed his mind. He cannot get beyond his desire to be king, and it is destroying him."
The British actor's background is in Shakespeare, having got his big break in theatre by playing Othello in a 1995 production, and also featuring in a 1997 version of Macbeth.
Ejiofor believes Scar is truly in the mould of a tragic Shakespearean character rather than a traditional Disney villain, as there is a tragedy to his overwhelming desire to rule over his fellow lions.
"He's obsessed with power and status, and to not have the status he desires creates a gnawing energy with a mental and physical manifestation," the 42-year-old explains."He can't sleep. He can't rest. He has no peace in his life. Being king is the only thing that will do, and the arrival of Simba means he's even further removed from achieving his goal. From that angle I could understand him, even have empathy for him."
The Lion King, which also stars Donald Glover and Beyonce, is in cinemas now.
