SPECTRE: Christoph Waltz Denies Blofeld Rumours (Again)

Christoph Waltz has denied - neither for the first nor, we suspect, last time - that he is secretly playing James Bond’s arch-nemesis, SPECTRE boss Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in the upcoming 24th Bond movie ‘SPECTRE.’

Quizzed on the matter by GQ (quotes via The Hollywood Reporter), Waltz replied, "That is absolutely untrue. That rumor started on the Internet, and the Internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser.“

Again, this is not the first time the actor has said as much, having told Collider in December that his role was “actually more interesting than that.”

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As soon as reports emerged that Waltz was set to appear alongside Daniel Craig in Sam Mendes’ follow-up to ‘Skyfall’ (the most critically and commercially successful Bond movie ever), there was immediate speculation that he might portray the classic villain, now freely available to Eon Productions after the estate of Kevin McClory relinquished all rights to ‘Thunderball’ (further details here).

Once the title of Bond 24 was revealed to be ‘SPECTRE,’ it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that this would be the film which finally saw Blofeld return to the series for the first time since ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ - not counting his sort-of cameo in ‘For Your Eyes Only,’ and the unofficial Bond movie ‘Never Say Never Again.’

The actor’s ominous, face-in-shadow introduction in the recent ‘SPECTRE’ teaser trailer only seemed to further confirm we could expect uber-villainy from Waltz in the movie.

However, on top of Waltz’s denials, director Mendes has hinted that fans shouldn’t “assume the obvious” about the film’s title.

Waltz - two-time Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner for his roles in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and ‘Django Unchained’ - went on to talk GQ through his decision to sign on for ‘SPECTRE,’ admitting initial uncertainty (in terms that might not go down all that well with long-time 007 fans):

"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… 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.”

As for whether Blofeld will show up in any way, shape or form - with ‘SPECTRE’ still more than six months away from its release date (or potentially longer if, as has been speculated, Daniel Craig’s recent surgery might delay production), it’ll still be a while before we know for sure.

‘SPECTRE’ is scheduled to hit UK cinemas on 23 October.

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Picture Credit: WENN, Sony/MGM-UA