Mark Strong’s dream role: ‘The Bond villain would be the absolute pinnacle’

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This is for all the people begging for Mark Strong. Okay, so there’s not that many people begging for MOAR Strong, but he has a small but dedicated fanbase. I enjoy him, I think he’s crazy-talented and he has a voice that makes me weak at the knees, but he doesn’t really make my Top Twenty list, you know? Anyway, Strong has a supporting part in The Imitation Game, and he did a really great interview with The Big Issue to promote it. I learned a lot about him, which wasn’t difficult because I knew next to nothing about him in the first place. Some highlights:

Being known for playing villains: “Careers tend to happen to actors. You don’t really have a great deal of control until you’re a star and have the power to play chess with your career so it moves in a particular way. I have a fascination for villains because they are way more complicated than heroes, so they are much more interesting to play. All I have done is choose the best roles and there was a period when they were all bad guys. I had fun doing it because they’re the opposite of me. Obviously I don’t go around my daily life being a villain.”

He’s friends with Christopher Eccleston & Daniel Craig: “I would have thought Chris was the most James Bond of all of us. But Daniel has done an incredible job of making it his own.”

He wants Daniel Craig to recommend him as a Bond villain: “The Bond villain would be the absolute pinnacle. They are almost as important as Bond himself because your hero is only as good as your villain so you have to have a good one for the hero to be truly heroic. I’m not ruling it out. We’ll just wait and see…”

Benedict Cumberbatch & TIG: “It’s interesting, it’s intelligent and Benedict is such a great actor. This guy Turing, who arguably won the war and saved millions of lives, was essentially hung out to dry by the Establishment. But we are all interesting, our own stories are all fascinating.”

[From The Big Issue]

I also learned that Daniel Craig is the godfather to Mark’s oldest son, which is kind of an awesome connection to have. Here’s something else: he’s birth name was “Marco Giuseppe Salussolia” but his mom changed it to “Mark Strong” so he wouldn’t stand out at school. Apparently, his dad was Italian but his dad abandoned his mom when Mark was just a baby. Sad. Would you find him more or less attractive if he went by Marco Salussolia? Or split the difference – what if he was Marco Strong? Hm.

And yes, he should totally be a Bond villain. Absolutely.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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48 Responses to “Mark Strong’s dream role: ‘The Bond villain would be the absolute pinnacle’”

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  1. Lilacflowers says:

    Mark Strong as a Bond villain. Why hasn’t this happened yet?

  2. Kali says:

    Oh casting gods, who art in showbusiness, executives be they name…. Seriously, this has to happen. Can you imagine that VOICE rumbling out the fantastic (and slightly scenery chewing) monologues the Bond villains have?

    • Lilacflowers says:

      It just has to happen! But it won’t be the next Bond film. Chewetel Ejiofor is the villain in that.

      • Kali says:

        Has Chiwetel actually been “officially” confirmed for that? I never believe until I hear the fat lady sing (or an official announcement from the studio). My poor wee heart has just been burnt by being hopeful too many times :'(

      • deehunny says:

        Really? Interesting choice. There has been a lot of discussion about Bond villians lately. Guess it is hotly contested this time around.

  3. Sixer says:

    I don’t like Bond films so I think he should do something else!

    He’s friends with CE and DC because they were in Our Friends in the North together. Career-making for all of them and seminal show in British TV history. One of the first times a character with Alzheimer’s was featured in a show, among many other things.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      I’ll check that one out. Thanks.

    • Sixer says:

      They’re all fabulous in it. Malcolm McDowell has a supporting role! Alun Armstrong’s in it, as is Gina McKee. And Peter Vaughan (very popular actor here) as the dad with Alzheimer’s was a tour de force. Actually, although I’d have to go and check, I think that’s how Craig got Bond. Someone in Bond casting watched it. It’s a really British series – social history aspect.

      • LAK says:

        Daniel Craig went into and was cast as Bond due to LAYER CAKE. Prior to that, he wasn’t in consideration. He was a good actor, lauded for his acting skills etc, but his characters tended to be rough diamonds rather than smooth, sophisticated Bond types.

        His LAYER CAKE character was smooth, sophisticated, sophisticated and metrosexual unlike anything he had played before. That’s what made the Bond producers take notice and test him for it and ultimately win it.

        Ps: it also helped that Bond was being revamped to be more like the Jason Bourne series, so they weren’t looking for someone *too* smooth in the mold of Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan.

      • Sixer says:

        Really, LAK? I stand corrected. (But am going to check that out!)

        BTW and OT – have you seen that Sky Living is doing a scripted reality show with British Asians? If so, what was your reaction? I thought of you as it’s related to stuff we’ve talked about before.

      • Sixer says:

        Ah. This might be what I was thinking of:

        http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/11/daniel-craig-james-bond-skyfall

        But Broccoli does say that OFintN didn’t immediately make her think Bond. Perhaps that’s where Layer Cake came in.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Peter Vaugh = Aemon Targaryen in GOT. Love that he is still working at his age. And David Bradley is in it too – he makes things interesting.

    • 'P'enny says:

      Our Friends in the North is class, it’ s brilliant, well written, perfectly acted and launched the careers of a lot of actors. I know Mark Strong, Chris E, Daniel Craig from this drama. I really wish they would do something again, similar and gritty, but interesting.

    • Kate says:

      Him and CE both played the Duke of Norfolk. CE in Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett and Mark in HenryVIII with Ray Winstone

  4. Sisi says:

    with Idris Elba as bond and Mark Strong as the villain I’d totally watch the next bond

    Then we bring back Judi Dench’s M from the grave, and we’ve won the awesome voice jackpot.

    a girl can dream, right?

  5. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    Mark Strong is SO sexy. Rawr.

  6. BendyWindy says:

    I feel awful for saying this, but I’ve never known his name! I always just refer to him as Septimus, which is the character he played in that awful Stardust movie with Claire Danes. He was awesome, though, and I like him in everything I’ve seen him in.

  7. Tiffany says:

    Make this happen MGM. *someone whispers Chiwetel is up for the role* Oh well, good luck in your future endeavors, Mark.

  8. Jen says:

    MORE MARK STRONG!

    I rewatched The Young Victoria recently – he has such an excellent, heavy presence as a malevolent character. It’s the voice and the stare. I want to see him in more period roles – he’d make a marvellous Malvolio, actually, now that I think about it.

  9. grabbyhands says:

    If Mark Strong becomes a Bond villain, I will definitely be rooting for the bad guy.

  10. And then there were none says:

    That voice! That is all.

  11. Feebee says:

    Of all the days to lose my magic wand…..

  12. frisbeejada says:

    Fwoaaar! double Fwoaaar! even.

  13. khaveman says:

    What a beautiful man. And the voice….ah the voice.

  14. kri says:

    Oh, yes. I love him. His voice is on par with the Batch. Those eyes are amazing. Super talented guy.

  15. Pager90 says:

    He’s gorgeous and seems so intelligent in his roles. Luv him.

  16. Camelia says:

    Am I the only one who finds it mind-blowing that he is 51 years old ?? I’m really bad at guessing ages (I thought that he was somewhere near 40, maybe even less) but 51 dammit ! He really doesn’t look like it !

  17. Kelly says:

    He’s good in everything.

  18. sigh((s)) says:

    He’s gorg. I love bald guys.

  19. Gabinator says:

    Thank you!! love him

  20. Triple Cardinal says:

    He’s in Before I Go To Sleep, with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. It just opened in the UK. He plays a shrink.

  21. INeedANap says:

    Mark Strong stan, checking in!

    He has such a magnetic and charismatic presence, I would love to see him on stage. And I unashamedly love Stardust, he was great in it.

  22. Lilacflowers says:

    Craig has two more films on his Bond contract. Chewitel is contracted to be the villain in the one scheduled for next year so Mark would have to be in the next one.

  23. Spikey says:

    Thank you! This little titbit – “He’s friends with Christopher Eccleston & Daniel Craig” – is sooo delicious. I will have exciting and swooning fan girl moments for months and months with it! Just imagine these three, hanging around a posh London club, whiskey tumblers in their hands, plotting world domination and general mischief. *drops dead*

  24. hutter says:

    I love playing Mark Strong’s But Game. Honk if you get the reference.

  25. Flower says:

    Same old, same old! It’s about time Bond had a really smart, evil, bad ass, female nemesis. Helen Mirren anyone?

  26. Isadora says:

    They should just make that Jaguar ad into a Bond movie – with three wonderful villains, trying to trump each other and Bond in the middle of it.

    • Tara says:

      he is so sexy. I love him in the movie Heartlands. Small role, but he’s very sweet and wears leather pants :p

  27. Sofacat says:

    I worked with him once! Okay, it was years ago before he was famous, but we worked on a management training video, and he was the nicest, nicest guy. Lovely fella. I’ve been so glad to see him get on so well. My tiny claim to fame!