Mark Strong shoots down Bond villain rumours

31-Oct-2014 • Spectre (2015)

British actor Mark Strong has denied he will be playing the villain in the next 007 adventure, Bond 24. Speculation was fueled when Strong was photographed with Daniel Craig last month.

"Daniel is a very good friend of mine. We've known each other for years and he's a godfather to my eldest child. The reason these rumours came about is because recently we went on a walking tour together in the Atlas Mountains."

"We took some time off to have some friend time; we hadn't seen each other for ages. Busy schedules mean you can't see each other and don't see your mates for a long time. And we went walking together," the 51-year-old actor said. "Someone took a picture and everybody's come to the conclusion I must be the new bad guy in the new Bond movie!"

"For some reason I played bad guys for a while, for a few years. I don't quite know what's happened but now it's spies! "I was a spy in 'Body of Lies', a film I did with Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; he was the head of the Jordanian secret service."

"In 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' I was a spy. In 'The Imitation Game', that's coming out with Benedict Cumberbatch, I'm a spy. 'Secret Service' that I'm doing with Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Firth, I'm another spy. I mean, it's unbelievable. I don't know quite what's happening but there's a whole spy thing going on."