'SPECTRE' Star Christoph Waltz Denies He's Playing Blofeld, the Classic Bond Nemesis

By Abid Rahman

Christoph Waltz has denied he is set to play Blofeld in SPECTRE, calling the claims “absolutely untrue.”

In an interview with British GQ, the two-time Oscar winner said it was Internet speculation that had him playing Blofeld and he was adamant that wasn’t the case: “That is absolutely untrue. That rumor started on the Internet, and the Internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser.”

Despite his denials, Waltz continues to be linked with playing 007’s greatest nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The cat stroking, evil genius behind the Spectre global criminal organization, Blofeld is considered by many fans the best Bond villain and has been played in the past by Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Max Von Sydow and Charles Gray. Blofeld was also the chief inspiration for Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers series.

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Elsewhere in the interview, the Django Unchained star said he did hesitate a little on doing a Bond film, but he was convinced by the quality of the people working on SPECTRE. “I did [hesitate], 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. The action sequences in Mexico are extravagant to say the least. The scenes in Austria are traditional Bond action in the snow. 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,” Waltz told GQ.

A respected dramatic actor, Waltz also said he can find artistic fulfillment with Bond films particularly as he has paid his dues earlier in his career. “A James Bond film can be artistically fulfilling. Absolutely it can. 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,” he said.

He added: “You see the same sort of action in Punch and Judy, or in the folk theatre of various cultures, like Grand Guignol.”

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Watch the first teaser for a glimpse of Waltz: