It took Christoph Waltz 30 years to become an overnight sensation. The Austrian actor was thrust into the limelight by Quentin Tarantino and before you could say “next Bond villain” he’s bagged two Oscars. GQ opens a file on Spectre, stardom and psychiatry with Hollywood’s secret weapon
Here are some exclusive quotes from the interview with Christoph Waltz in the new issue of British GQ:
On whether he hesitated in doing a Bond film:
“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. 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.”
On whether he is playing the classic Bond villain Blofeld:
“That is absolutely untrue. That rumour started on the Internet, and the Internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser.”
On whether a Bond film can be artistically fulfilling:
“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. You see the same sort of action in Punch and Judy, or in the folk theatre of various cultures, like Grand Guignol.”
On achieving success later in his career:
“I do feel I can say – without smugness – that this feels good. I am entitled. I am entitled to judge the situation and say that yes: it feels good, and that yes, I agree with you. I feel like I served my time. I feel I have paid [my dues].”
Ben Whishaw's Notebook 