Christoph Waltz covers the May issue of British GQ to promote his role in Spectre. He’s such a sharp-dressed man! You can see the rest of the shoot here, and it’s pretty amazing. Waltz can pull off the shoot’s styling whereas other actors would look ridiculous. I’ve never seen him look less than impeccable (whether he’s wearing a suit or jeans). Even when he’s pseudo-grumpily eating a hamburger, the dude has style.

This interview isn’t groundbreaking, but there are glimpses of Waltz’s whimsical ways. He’s got a lovely personality although most of his Hollywood roles have been villains. GQ even calls him “the coolest Bond villain ever.” That may be true, we’ll see. (I still have a soft spot for Le Chiffre, the villain played by Mads Mikkelsen.) Everyone reckons that Waltz will play the classic Bond villain named Blofeld, but Waltz says that isn’t true. He also talks about the rewards of being a late acting bloomer:

On hesitating before accepting a Bond villain: “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.”

Is he playing 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.”

Can a blockbuster fulfill an artist? “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 being a late bloomer: “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].”

[From British GQ]

Waltz, 58, really is a late bloomer. He worked regularly (for three decades) in Europe before making his big Quentin Tarantino breakthrough. In Cannes, QT famously thanked Waltz for saving his movie; and Waltz thanked him for saving his career. Two Oscars followed, and he’s enjoyed plenty of commercial success in other movies. Waltz seems truly grateful for his success, and you never hear anything bad about the guy. He seems a little prickly over the internet, but I suspect he was joking.

Is Waltz playing Blofeld or not? IMDb credits him under the Franz Oberhauser character, which has been detailed in Bond-inclusive wikis. Franz is believed to be “a leading figure in the SPECTRE criminal organisation.” Moviepilot isn’t buying it. They point out how all of the clips and trailers so far have teased Waltz in an “extremely ‘Blofeld-esque’ manner.” Actors have fibbed before about secretive blockbuster roles. Marion Cotillard insisted she wasn’t playing Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises, which was a lie. I don’t see why Waltz wouldn’t be playing Blofeld. Making Spectre without the head of the titular organization would be a waste.

Photos courtesy of British GQ & WENN