By The confirmation of Rami Malek as Bond 25's villain was probably the least surprising reveal from that livestream from Ian Fleming's GoldenEye estate in Jamaica, but according to Malek it was far from a done deal until he'd secured one condition from director Cary Fukunaga.
Malek, whose parents are Egyptian and was raised speaking Egyptian Arabic around the house in Los Angeles, was concerned that he'd be pressed into the role of a religious terrorist, and he wasted no time in telling Fukunaga he wouldn't want to be involved if that was the case.
"It’s a great character and I’m very excited," Malek told the Daily Mirror. "But that was one thing that I discussed with Cary.
"I said, 'We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That's not something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out'.
"But that was clearly not his vision. So he's a very different kind of terrorist."
That's reassuring. Any more intel on the script and the plot, Rami?
"It’s another extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what people want in those movies."
That's a no then. Never mind. Having signed on, Malek said that the enormity of being a Bond villain has properly sunk in now.
"I feel a substantial weight on my shoulders," Malek said. "I mean, Bond is something that we all grow up with."
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