The red carpet star ...who isn’t allowed to see the film
But still made the premiere
SHE stars as a terrifying child witch in a dark new film version of Shakespeare’s Scottish play.
But, nine-year-old Amber Rissmann was not allowed to watch her scenestealing role at the UK premiere of Macbeth – because she not old enough to see the 15-rated movie.
However, the schoolgirl, from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was happy to share the red carpet with the rest of the cast, including Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender, as the film made its debut in Edinburgh.
And while British actors David Thewlis, who plays King Duncan, and Paddy Considine, who stars as Banquo, were also in attendance, the so- called ‘ curse of Macbeth’ may have struck as Marion Cotillard, the film’s Lady Macbeth, was absent through illness.
Enjoying her moment in the limelight, Amber admitted she had never heard of Fassbender, who stars as Macbeth, before landing a part on the movie, much of which was shot on location on Skye.
She said: ‘I didn’t feel star-struck. It was really exciting – it was fun and they treated me very well. Michael was friendly and I remember one night we had a party and he gave all of us piggy backs.’
While on set, Amber compiled a memory book for the stars to sign and Fassbender wrote about looki ng f orward to sampling her witches’ brew and signed off, ‘Love Michael’.
To make her look like a witch, make-up artists created several horrible scars on her face.
The young actress said: ‘When I looked in the mirror, I thought it was cool.’
Her mother, Lydia, revealed that Amber attended an earlier private
‘It was really exciting’
screening, at which she had to keep her hands over her daughter’s eyes for the scary bits.
Fassbender, who plays the title role, stopped to talk to fans, sign autographs and pose for selfies as he made his way to the screening at the capital’s Festival Theatre. He said: ‘It’s called the Scottish play and Scotland is undoubtedly one of the stars of the movie.
‘The reason it is so beautiful is because it’s so damn beautiful up here.
‘I’m glad to be here – I’ve not been up for six years and I always love being here. I could honestly live up here, I love it.’
He admitted some of the filming, including a scene which sees him emerging from the water naked, was brutal.
The star said: ‘Skye was cold, wet and beautiful – and a stunning place. I’m lucky enough to travel to many places in world .
‘Go see the film. It’s pretty. There was much horizontal rain, sleet and a bit of snow. Marion fell down a bog and was there one minute and gone the next.’
Cotillard, 39, who shot to fame as opera singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose in 2010, was ordered not to attend by doctors after suffering from exhaustion.
The movie’s Australian director Justin Kurzel, said: ‘She is incredibly ill at the moment. I don’t think it’s the curse of Macbeth. I think it’s just her working really hard at the moment.’
VisitScotland is hoping the film will generate success for Scottish tourism and has already produced a new online Macbeth locations guide highlighting places on Skye where filming took place.