Two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz' latest film is Big Eyes, directed by Tim Burton. Waltz plays Walter Keane, who takes credit for his wife's paintings of saucer-eyed waifs. But don't ask Waltz to give you a synopsis of the film. That's not his job. "One of my few principles [as an actor] is to get out of the way," he says, thus putting the onus on the audience member to engage and identify with the character, without muddling the experience with his own interpretation. Waltz has few principles beyond that when it comes to his craft. "I never really consider myself an artist," he says, "I like to see myself as a craftsman, or a mechanic, really." He talks (minimally) about his latest film Big Eyes, and his desire to direct.
Photo: Kurt Iswarienko