Rami Malek‘s new Bond villain, Safin, is so shrouded in mystery that fans have already started forming theories that the character is secretly a classic Bond villain in the vein of Christoph Waltz’s surprise reveal as Blofeld in Spectre. Unfortunately, we’re a ways off from learning the true nature of Malik’s character, due to the pandemic pushing No Time to Die into 2021, which will have officially delayed the film an entire year unless recent talks of a streaming release turn out to be more than just reports.
However, Malek has shed some more light on Safin in a new interview with British GQ, which should hopefully tide Bond fans over until No Time to Die‘s eventual debut. The Mr. Robot actor revealed that playing the Bond villain was psychologically tasking thanks to the character’s “clinical nature,” and his seemingly clouded motives that made Malek question the very nature of evil itself:
“I think you start asking questions about what evil is. And with this character especially I find him fascinating because he can detach from empathy in order to meticulously carry out his will and I start to wrap myself up in who that person is psychologically. He’s ruthless and that might be – I’m in danger of giving too much away here – a result of something that’s happened to him. But even acknowledging that taps into the analytical side of him as well. I think the fact that he can still find a way to appreciate his own evil is something that is quite petrifying and psychologically something that was not easy for me to tap into.”
With No Time to Die being Craig’s last time as 007, legendary Bond producers Barbara Broccoli touted Malek’s Safin as more than just a villain and someone who will push Bond farther than any adversary before. “We’ve thrown the book at [James Bond] on this one,” Broccoli told Empire last year. “He is really the supervillain. He’s the one that really gets under Bond’s skin. He’s a nasty piece of work.”
No Time to Die is set to hits theaters April 2, 2021, but don’t be surprised if that release date is shaken, or possibly stirred.
(Via British GQ)
