A dog trainer gave Christopher Waltz a hefty piece of advice once: “The better the dog, the busier you have to keep him.” Indeed, the actor who plays Col. Hans Landa in “Inglourious Basterds” has been very busy. Apart from his role as the villain in “The Green Hornet”, Waltz has also been receiving offers and invitations to A-list parties, though it’s still bewildering for the 53-year-old to sit beside Nicolas Cage or Morgan Freeman.
“I’m arrogant and blasé enough to consider myself a very good dog,” he jokingly said. “You take pride in what you’re doing, in your craft, and all of that, but — I wouldn’t say I resigned myself to mediocrity, not at all, but I started to accept that there might be an ideal you strive for (and) never realize.”
Quentin Tarantino nearly gave up on Basterds to find the right actor to play Landa until Waltz entered the room. “I consider myself one of very few who get the chance to have that experience,” he said. “(But) it would be completely presumptuous, or, in a way, childish, or rather infantile to expect that could happen again and again.”
Playing the role has in fact, given Waltz greater opportunities. “It opens doors I didn’t even know existed,” he said. “All interesting directors end up here, and I’d be thrilled to work with the greats. I’m a great Tim Burton fan and an admirer of Martin Scorsese. This is how different my interests are.”
Directors may now be eyeing the winner of the top acting prize in Cannes but for Waltz, it’s not all about playing a Nazi role.
“I get interest coming my way from many different directions. I’d hate to pigeon-hole myself. The variety is what’s interesting.”
