The next addition to the James Bond franchise, "Spectre," is well underway and rumors about the film have been popping up all over. While Daniel Craig's James Bond naturally gets the majority of the attention, fans are also excited to get their first look at Dave Bautista's evil henchman, Mr. Hinx.
Bautista, the wrestler-turned-actor who was last seen hilariously misunderstanding metaphors as Drax the Destroyer in "Guardians of the Galaxy," spoke to Empire about his character. What's surprising is that Bautista teased a villain whose wits matched his muscles, and not just your typical run-of-the-mill evil doer.
"When I came over to meet Sam [Mendes], I only asked two questions," Bautista said. "I asked him if Mr. Hinx was a badass. He said, 'Yes, he's a badass.' I said, 'Well, is Mr. Hinx intelligent?' He said, 'Very.' That's what I like about Mr. Hinx. He's very well-dressed and very well-mannered. I'm not just here to fight people. He has a sense of humor. He definitely knows what a metaphor is."
Bond villains have always been revered for their intellect, while their underlings have been nothing more than additions to Bond's body count (Oddjob and Jaws come to mind). After the huge success of "Skyfall," it's refreshing to see that Mendes is still willing to play around with established character tropes to try and give Bond fans something different. That is, however, in line with Craig's Bond films.
Starting with 2006's "Casino Royale," the Bond franchise has turned away from its earlier levity and campiness, and instead embraced a more grounded and gritty tone. Turning Mr. Hinx into a physical threat who is also a thinker is a nice continuation of that trend.
"Spectre" is scheduled to be released Oct. 23, 2015.
