Christoph Waltz not playing Blofield in "Spectre"

London: Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz has dismissed reports that he is playing classic James Bond villain Blofield in "Spectre". "That is absolutely untrue. That rumour started on the Internet, and the Internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser," Waltz told GQ magazine in an interview.

The actor, who also graces the cover of the magazine, admitted that he thought before accepting the part in the celebrated spy franchise.

"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..."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," he said. Waltz shot to limelight with 2009 Quentin Tarantino's film "Inglourious Basterds" for which he won the best supporting actor Oscar and repeated his win with "Django Unchained".

The Austrian actor, 58, compared working in a James Bond movie to doing popular theatre which can be "artistically fulfilling".

"... 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," he said.

"Spectre", directed by Sam Mendes, will see Craig reprising his Bond character for the fourth time.

Also starring Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, L?a Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, David Bautista and Andrew Scott, the movie is slated to hit the screens on November 6.