The story is so rich and deserves TV.
For this one it was obvious.
Both stars have skewed towards movies during their decorated careers andCount Of Monte Cristohas never been made for TV.
Jeremy Irons (left) and Bille AugustPascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
A 2002 movie version saw Richard Harris play Irons role.
The quality has always been very mixed, he added.
When studios were going flat out [with tentpoles] there were terrible B-movies and terrible A-movies.
Sam Claflin inThe Count of Monte Cristo. Image: Jean Claude LotherMediawan
The ones we remember are the greats.
I was practical about it, he added.
So we worked out a tunnelling costume that would keep some of the filth and the dust off him.
Its all about truth and all these small details, he added.
The bigger story itself is about a man who wants revenge and it will eat him up inside.
Great writers can make stories contemporary from whichever era they are from, Irons explained.
When done well, Shakespeare is completely contemporary and he was writing 500 years ago, he added.
August noted that Danish directors act like colleagues not enemies, a driver of their success.
We help each other, he added.
Its a fruitful environment, rather than other countries where they are fighting.
So that is a wonderful environment to make films in.
