Schreiber To Lead CORIOLANUS In The Park?

Stage regular and screen superstar Liev Schreiber announced plans to return to the stage in one of Shakespeare's most timely and violent tragedies, CORIOLANUS, while appearing to promote his new Showtime series RAY DONOVAN on CBS THIS MORNING earlier today.

Schreiber explained that he hopes to take on the title role in a Public Theater production sometime soon.

"Oskar Eustis - who runs The Public Theater - and I have been talking about CORIOLANUS. It's a tricky play, though," Schreiber confessed.

"We've been talking about that a lot and hopefully maybe getting that into the Park at some point," Schreiber further clarified after complimenting the recent Ralph Fiennes feature film adaptation, co-starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave.

Schreiber and I discussed Shakespeare extensively in our 2011 InDepth InterView and we specifically addressed CORIOLANUS at that time, incidentally. Portions of our conversation follow:

"PC: Would you ever consider taking on CORIOLANUS? Are you familiar with that play? It's a bit obscure.

LS: Yeah! No, I am very familiar with that play. Believe it or not, I've been thinking about that. I've been talking about it with the folks at The Public Theater.

PC: No way! Can you give me the scoop?

LS: We don't know when it's going to happen, but that's a play I am very interested in.

PC: It's one of his greatest tragedies.

LS: It's a truly remarkable play.

PC: You'd want to play Coriolanus, of course, right?

LS: Oh, yeah. [Timidly.] I don't think I'm ready for Aufidius yet!

PC: Maybe in a few decades!

LS: Maybe. [Laughs.]

PC: What about other Shakespeare roles in your future?

LS: I don't know, I've been definitely itching to do one but it has been a question of time and what. (Pause.) There have been a few that I have been thinking of for a long time.

PC: Such as?

LS: A production of MEASURE [FOR MEASURE] and, even, maybe, TAMING OF THE SHREW. It's all speculative at this point, of course.

PC: Would you like to share the stage with your partner Naomi Watts in TAMING OF THE SHREW? That would be awesome. Would you two ever Taylor/Burton it onstage?

LS: Well, the problem with that is: when you have two parents away, you never get to put the kids to bed!

PC: Indeed. The family balance.

LS: So, that's one of the difficulties with that - but, you never know!"

Check out my entire InDepth InterView with Liev Schreiber from 2011, available here.

View the interview with Liev Schreiber on CBS THIS MORNING below.