Canadian acting icon and international star Christopher Plummer finally got his man.

It took several years and his plan had been rejected by more than one director, but now the venerable actor is playing the character he's been pining to portray, George Bernard Shaw's Julius Caesar.

It's a part he seemed destined to play -- with his commanding presence, charisma and stature -- so one wonders why it took him so long to find an ally to direct.

That friend and comrade is Stratford Shakespeare Festival's artistic director, Des McAnuff. He's at the helm of the production of Caesar and Cleopatra, also starring Nikki M. James, who is the festival's Juliet, too.

Caesar and Cleopatra opened this week.

"I went to two or three very famous directors and pitched it," Plummer says . "I won't mention who because they might not enjoy that. But both were very well known on the international scene."

Plummer loves the flow of language in Shaw's work.

"You can't embellish when you play Shaw. He made sure his rhythms were obeyed. You have to zero in on the musicality that belonged to him. I grew up on poetry, so I was attuned to words at an early age."

He also loves that Shaw's Caesar is human and vulnerable, as well as shrewd and witty. "He's written just a very rich character."

At 78, Plummer still maintains a hectic schedule and is in demand worldwide.

Festival general director Antoni Cimolino calls Plummer "the finest classical actor in the world righ now." He says the actor's performance in Caesar and Cleopatra is top-notch.

"His ability to inject irony and lightness . . . is exactly what Shaw needs."

Plummer looks fit and relaxed during a break at the Festival Theatre, wearing jeans and a blue cotton top.

He seems genuinely pleased when someone mentions how terrific he looks and he credits his wife for that.

"She knows how to cook well-balanced meals. She's saved my bacon as well."

He also mentions his fondness for tennis and taking walks and his love of his work.

He laughs about how bad the coffee is at the theatre, admits he can't wait to see The Dark Knight and laments the cost of dining out in Stratford.

Plummer knows his value, but is still gracious with his time.

Despite a decline in ticket sales this year at the festival --which has prompted the organization to reduce its playbill next season -- Caesar and Cleopatra is selling well.

"We're at 85, 95 per cent," Plummer says. "I think partly because of Des and partly because I'm here that they're coming. I've done a lot of publicity. More than I've ever done before."

There is also talk about taking Caesar and Cleopatra to New York.

"I don't think it should enjoy a long run because it's such a huge production," Plummer says.

His last Stratford role in 2002, King Lear, led to a Tony nomination after a run on Broadway. He has seven Tony nominations and two awards to his credit.

He believes Shaw continues to enlighten and engage and that Caesar and Cleopatra is particularly relevant.

"It has an apropos ring in the world right now, like army occupation and (Caesar) admitting that he should not have come to Egypt and things that our present administration to the south have never admitted."

Plummer, who grew up in Montreal, arrived in Stratford this summer after some time in Berlin filming The Last Station with Helen Mirren. She and Plummer play the Tolstoys in their older years. "It was very interesting."

He also stars in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, to be released in 2009.

It co-starred the late Heath Ledger, who was replaced with Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell.

"The reason for three is because one person could not stay the length of time needed to finish this role. It's a magic show in a way, so it's legitimate that he could turn into three others."

In a career that brought him fame and adoration for such work as Sound of Music and The Man Who Would be King, the classically trained Plummer has also played a Klingon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and a detective in Dolores Claiborne.

He moves seamlessly between the worlds of theatre, film and television, working around the globe.

Still, he feels the pull of Stratford and is excited about what it is offering, the Shaw production in particular.

"The old warhorse still works," he says about Caesar.

Likewise for Plummer.