Despite having one of the most famous actors in the history of America cinema fronting the movie, a lot of the early buzz about Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds isn't about Brad Pitt's performance, but rather that of Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who plays "Jew Hunter" to Pitt's "Nazi-scalping basterd."
Waltz, a veteran actor in Europe with a career spanning three decades, won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa of the SS in Basterds. He calls his character "one of the great villains in dramatic literature" and gives much of the credit to Tarantino.
It's what Quentin has written, and let me tell you, that's plenty. Because I could still be sitting there trying to figure out what else is in there. And it's bottomless.
Waltz said that Tarantino discouraged him from chumming around with the other cast members and that he insisted on numerous rehearsals, which helped Waltz delve even deeper into the mind of Hans Landa.
Films tend to break up scenes, but Quentin insisted that we rehearse and play them in real time. Without all that stop and start, you really get the opportunity to play, to really get things going, to establish the rhythm.
Quentin didn't want to establish a form of security. He didn't want us too comfortable. He wanted to keep everyone on our toes.