The Oscar-winning actress plays Lady MACbeth in the gritty adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragic play, but she was unable to join her co-star Michael Fassbender on the red carpet for the unveiling at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Reports suggest Cotillard is suffering from exhaustion.

The play has long been thought jinxed by superstitious thespians, but the director of the new film, Justin Kurzel, is adamant his leading lady is not the latest victim of the MACbeth 'curse'.

He tells Britain's Daily Record newspaper, "We are really sad that Marion is not here (at the premiere). She is incredibly ill at the moment and extraordinary in the film so she feels just as bad not being here and celebrating her amazing performance.

"I don't think it's the curse of MACbeth because she dealt with the curse many months ago. I think it's just her working really hard at the moment. She's just recovering in bed. She's in Sweden at the moment. And I think she's devastated she couldn't be here."

A spokesperson for the film confirmed to the paper that the star's absence was due to doctor's orders.

It was previously revealed Cotillard suffered for her art on the set of MACbeth as she fell into a bog while filming in Scotland. The actress lost her footing and tumbled into deep mud.

Kurzel says of the incident, "She went in up to her neck. I thought, 'Ah, OK. We may have lost her.'"