Mathieu Amalric On Being A Bond Baddie

WARNING: Minor character spoilers

Following up their interview with Gemma Arterton, IGN had a chance to speak with Mathieu Amalric on the Quantum of Solace set to discuss how he got the role as villain ‘Dominic Greene.’

‘I prefer to be James Bond in real life. We all try to be him–a great guy, always strong–but since Casino Royale you can see that Daniel is trying to bring James Bond back to humanity. Something that has to do with feelings.’ – Mathieu Amalric

‘We’ve only just started shooting and at the moment I’m doing a lot of rehearsing for the stunts, which means there might be a fight,’ started Amalric. ‘Sometimes the villain sends his bodyguard, but this time, there is a fight. It’s awkward because, what I like when I discover James Bond films is not to know anything, so it would be disgraceful for the public if I tell you who this guy is because it’s part of the suspense.’

Amalric goes on to explain that Greene is a more complicated villain and not merely some bad guy ‘on a secret island who wants to destroy the world.’

‘Well there are a lot of villains around today. We are all villains, no? When you see Casino Royale there’s the fantasy of Bond, but it’s also realistic–it could happen. For example, what’s happening in economics today–where are the villains? We don’t even know. They are more like a gas–you don’t know where it is. Before you had something to help you look like a villain–a jaw full of metal, an eye that bleeds–something, but I don’t.’

‘That’s a mystery also,’ replied Amalric when asked how he landed the role in Quantum of Solace. ‘What am I doing here? I think I’m here because Marc Forster likes actors. We’ve already shot three days and I really feel that the guy is so happy to have these actors. He’s shooting what happens on the faces.’

‘We had this idea that maybe James Bond would be more surprised if the villain doesn’t know how to fight. Sometimes with anger you can be much more dangerous than with skill…’ – Mathieu Amalric on villain ‘Dominic Greene’

When asked if he was at all worried about only being remember for this high-profile James Bond film, Amalric stated: ‘It’s funny you should ask that because I talked with Max Von Sydow, who was in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and who was a villain in a James Bond film [Never Say Never Again]. And in Munich I played opposite Michael Lonsdale, who was also a villain [in Moonraker].’

‘I asked Michael, and he continued to play afterwards in very different sorts of roles. He said the pleasure is to be where you’re not supposed to be. I think the pleasure of being an actor is to have the opportunity to use all the facets that we all have in our heads, no?’

Be sure to head over to IGN for the complete interview with Mathieu Amalric.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.