By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-17
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS
Back in April, CommanderBond.net reported that a new cast member had joined the Quantum of Solace production.
British actor Simon Kassianides joined the cast as the mysterious character named Yusef. While details were kept to absolute minimum regarding the specifics of his role, we exclusively learned that he has a confrontation with Daniel Craig’s James Bond at the conclusion of the film and is seen carrying an Algerian Love Knot–immediately sparking speculation that Vesper Lynd’s boyfriend will indeed turn up in this film.
A brief snippet of this scene was screened earlier this month before journalists as part of a 10-minute package of Quantum of Solace footage.
Kassianides was recently interviewed by The Times, but this Bond baddie remained tight-lipped as ever; revealing only that his role is ‘pivotal, charming, and quite dark’.
‘Daniel is a formidable presence when he walks into a room. I’ve not seen a man with bluer eyes. It’s completely unnerving.’ – Kassianides on co-star Craig
That didn’t stop the interviewer from trying to get every possible detail, however. When asked about the eventual meeting between Bond and Yusef, Kassianides said: ‘Well, we don’t dance, and that’s for sure.’ To the follow-up question asking if it’d be fair to say they fight, he responded: ‘No, it wouldn’t be fair to say anything really. It is something that a lot of people are excited about, and it’s integral to the story. You want these two people to meet, you want Bond to find me, but I can’t say more than that.’
The 28-year old actor does mention that the film has been a dream come true for him. He received a call from his agent last winter while in Barcelona: ‘Bond are looking at a handful of actors today, and they want to see you! Be there in 90 minutes!’
After arriving at the production, Kassianides was immediately struck by how friendly and creative those behind the film actually were, despite being such a large operation. ‘Daniel Craig was completely humble and had none of that big star bollocks about him,’ he said, and was allowed input into his own character by director Marc Forster: ‘It was like, at one stage I said, I wanted to, er, eh, it’s so hard for me to talk about this,’ he stops himself, preventing a revelation.
Moving the discussion to one of the film’s massive sets, he continued: ‘The only time you realise the size and the scale of what you’re in, is when you’re standing in the middle of the set opposite Daniel Craig and you’re asked to go for a take. At that point you just look around you, at all the, er, eh, well, I can’t really talk about that, but anyway, you realise that you’re involved in this thing that is just massive!’
‘When I did the Quantum of Solace video game, that was weird…’ – Kassianides reveals he joins the ever-growing list of Bond actors and actresses featured in Activision’s forthcoming videogame
A question regarding his return for Bond 23 almost trips him up, but not quite. ‘I er, I eh… I know my main concern is really not to do or say anything that would jeopardise the enjoyment of the movie. But honestly, I’m not involved that deeply in the machinations of the franchise to know what their plans are … the [film’s] title refers to the smallest amount of love needed for a relationship, but it can be interpreted, in a film which is about revenge, as the death of someone’s love or, er, eh, I dunno, it’s all just going to be great!’
In conclusion, despite some major Quantum of Solace spoilers getting out, it appears those surrounding this character are remaining firmly underwraps.
Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.
