Max von Sydow on turning down 'Dr No' and playing Blofeld in 1983

82 year-old actor Max von Sydow spoke to Moviefone this week about his new film "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", and talk inevitably turned to his history with James Bond:

I read that you turned down the role of Dr. No in the first James bond film.
I was offered Dr. No, yes. [Laughing] And I turned it down!

Is that something you regret?
Do I regret it? No. I don't. Well, of course, I didn't know what James Bond was at that time. And, of course, I didn't know what was going to happen [laughs] in the future. But, then, after many years, I was offered to be in 'Never Say Never Again.'

With Irvin Kershner directing, who had just done 'The Empire Strikes Back.'
Yes.

That was the renegade James Bond film not sanctioned by United Artists. A remake of 'Thunderball.' Was there any pressure not to participate?
No. Not really. But there were big problems like, "What can we do?" and "What can we not do? What are we allowed to do? What is legally correct to do?" But this thing came out and it was not a bad film.

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