With the two characters seemingly having a few similarities, Christoph Waltz shares his thoughts on comparisons between his characters in Old Guy and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. The two-time Oscar winner leads the ensemble cast of the new action comedy as Danny Dolinski, an aging hitman who is tasked with training his potential replacement, though things turn deadly as certain forces scheme against them during a mission to Northern Ireland. Alongside Waltz, Old Guy stars Saturday Night‘s Cooper Hoffman as Danny’s trainee, and Lucy Liu as his love interest, club manager Anata.
During an interview with ScreenRant for the film’s release, Waltz was asked about the similarities between Old Guy‘s Danny Dolinski and Django Unchained‘s Dr. Schultz, particularly how the two characters are likable because of their strong moral compasses in spite of their violent professions. While the Oscar winner humorously expressed enjoying said description, he ultimately found them to be different characters, particularly in that they’re driven by two very different motivations. Check out Waltz’s explanation below:
You know, I never thought about that, but the way you described it, actually, I kind of like that. Whether or not it’s true is almost irrelevant, it’s so nice the way you said it. Yeah, age doesn’t really play a big part in Dr. Schultz, but maturity and experience, yes. The fun thing about Danny Dolinski is that he’s convinced he can still do it better than anyone else. Not really… but maybe, yes … let’s see. [Laughs] So, that’s why I like the trajectory into romance, and that’s why I really was convinced, yes, that is an answer to age, or a certain maturity. Frailty is too much yet, but there’s something when the emotional side has been overlooked in the course of one life. When all of that testosterone-driven bull—t subsides, there is the angel that lifts this existence into something worthwhile.
What This Means For Waltz’s Old Guy Character
A Different Kind Of Protagonist For The Star
Though having been an actor for the better part of 50 years, Waltz became a household name with his turn as the villainous Colonel Hans “The Jew Hunter” Landa in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, which netted him his first Oscar victory. It also nearly resulted in Waltz being typecast for future American-based productions, having subsequently followed it up with everything from the Seth Rogen-led Green Hornet reboot to Daniel Craig’s James Bond tenure as Blofeld.
Despite his popularity as an antagonist, however, some filmmakers have since recognized his potential to play a more benevolent character, one of the more notable being Tarantino for Waltz’s second collaboration with the writer/director, Django Unchained, in which he starred as kindhearted bounty hunter Dr. Schultz. Once again, Tarantino’s recognition of Waltz’s range paid off in dividends, resulting in his second Oscar victory, and subsequent opportunities in more protagonist roles, including in Alexander Payne’s Downsizing and Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel as the adoptive father to the titular cyborg.
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Why Christoph Waltz Originally Turned Down Tarantino’s Django Unchained
Christoph Waltz won his second Oscar thanks to his role as Dr. Schultz in Django Unchained, which he initially turned down. Here’s why.
With Old Guy, as evidenced by Waltz’s above comments, he’s not only getting the opportunity to return to the morally good side of the spectrum, but also gets to again explore a different kind of character in this mold. Danny, while sharing similar morals to Dr. Schultz, is still someone passionate about the world of contract killing, whereas the latter was clearly using the job as a means to an end. That said, with Danny potentially being open to leaving it all behind for a woman, it again offers Waltz yet another new angle on how to get into his character’s head.
Our Take On The Comparisons Between Dr. Schultz & Danny Dolinski
Old Guy Allows Waltz To Play Into A Different Kind Of Comedy
Beyond just their similar morality and violent professions, one of the biggest differences between Django Unchained‘s Dr. Schultz and Old Guy‘s Danny Dolinski, which makes for a fun change for Waltz, is getting to play more into the physical comedy side of things. With Danny frequently dealing with arthritic troubles, even in the wake of surgery, it results in a variety of sequences in which Waltz fumbles his way through, which is something not really seen from the actor. While Old Guy may not be getting the best of reviews, it’s nice to see Waltz getting another protagonist role.