Christoph Waltz: Not playing Blofeld in 'Spectre'

Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz has denied reports that he is playing classic James Bond villain Blofeld in upcoming 007 movie 'Spectre'

London: Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz has denied reports that he is playing classic James Bond villain Blofeld in upcoming 007 movie 'Spectre'.


Christoph Waltz 

"That is absolutely untrue. That rumour started on the Internet, and the Internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser," Waltz told British GQ in an interview.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld, an evil, cat-loving genius with aspirations of world domination, is considered one of the best villains in the spy franchise.

Blofeld, head of criminal organisation SPECTRE and arch-enemy of Bond, appears in three of the books by Ian Flaming --Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and You Only Live Twice and six Bond movies.

Waltz hit the limelight with his portrayal of gleefully evil SS officer, Colonel Hans Landa, in 2009 Quentin Tarantino's film 'Inglourious Basterds'.

He won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role, a feat he repeated again for Tarantino's another film "Django Unchained" though he played a positive role this time.

Waltz, who also graces the cover of the magazine, admitted that he thought before accepting the part in the celebrated franchise.

"I did, yes. I always hesitate... You ask yourself, hang on: what James Bond are we talking about? The thing about Spectre is that it is not the work of hack writers. It does not have a hack director. The actors are not hams...

"These films with Daniel Craig have shifted the tone. They don't depend on a set formula that forces actors simply to go through the motions," he said.

The Austrian actor, 58, compared working in a James Bond movie to doing popular theatre which can be "artistically fulfilling".

"... It can be complex and it can be interesting. I consider Bond movies to be an extension of popular theatre, a kind of modern mythology.

You see the same sort of action in Punch and Judy, or in the folk theatre of various cultures, like Grand Guignol," he said.

"Spectre", directed by Sam Mendes, will see Craig reprising his Bond character for the fourth time.

Also starring Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Léa Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, David Bautista and Andrew Scott, the movie is slated to hit the screens on November 6.

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