Christoph Waltz may have already poured cold water over speculation that attributed his Spectre role with that of Bond arch nemesis Blofeld, but following the release of the spy thriller’s tantailizing first teaser, which had him sitting at the head of what can only be the main headquarters of the titular organization, fan interest in Ernst Stavro raised its head once more.
But according to the actor himself, that conjecture is “absolutely untrue,” as he tackled the Blofeld talk head on in an interview with GQ, where he insisted that his villain’s name is Oberhauser, as the marketing campaign has repeatedly stated.
“That is absolutely untrue. That rumour started on the internet, and the internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser.”
Whether this proves to be a clandestine cover-up in the vein of Star Trek Into Darkness‘ John Harrison (later to be revealed as Khan) will ultimately be revealed closer to Spectre‘s launch date. Heck, closer to home, Naomie Harris denied that Skyfall would see her take on the role of Miss Moneypenny.
For now, though, we’ll just have to take Waltz’s word as gospel. Getting off the Blofeld speculation, the award-winning actor also touched upon his hesitation to join Sam Mendes’ sequel, but it wasn’t long before his involvement in the 24th installment was set in stone.
“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.”
Smoke and mirrors? Genuine misunderstanding? We’ll let you decide. Spectre arrives in theaters on November 6.
