Stephen Hawking Wants to Be a James Bond Villain
Renowned scientist and author Stephen Hawking has made numerous TV and movie cameos and was recently the subject of the critically acclaimed biopic, The Theory of Everything. But the theoretical physicist has big ambitions for his future in film: “My ideal role would be a baddie in a James Bond film,” Hawking joked during an interview with Wired‘s U.K. edition. “I think the wheelchair and the computer voice would fit the part.”
Per The Guardian, Hawking went on to talk about his famous computerized voice, which has allowed him to speak despite being almost completely paralyzed by a motor neuron disease. “Before I lost my voice, it was slurred, so only those close to me could understand, but with the computer voice, I found I could give popular lectures,” he said. “I enjoy communicating science. It is important that the public understands basic science, if they are not to leave vital decisions to others.”
Hawking, who was born in Oxford, England, also noted that the speech synthesizer gave him an American accent, though he hasn’t bothered to change it “because it’s now my trademark.” Unfortunately that golden digital voice is unlikely to ever torture Mr. Bond or threaten to destroy the world — though perhaps it already has in a parallel universe.
While actor Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Hawking in The Theory of Everything earned rave reviews from critics — Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers called it a “landmark performance” — Hawking himself has been appearing on various mediums this year. Over the summer, he ruthlessly mocked John Oliver’s chances with Charlize Theron on Last Week Tonight, and he recently lent his voice to “Talkin’ Hawkin’,” a track from Pink Floyd’s new album, The Endless River. He even participated in a Monty Python sketch for the comedy troupe’s run of reunion shows in London this July.
“In some of the outtakes, I’m playing [Hawking] the ‘Galaxy Song’ and I keep making him smile; it’s lovely,” Python member Eric Idle recently told Rolling Stone. “It’s not easy to make him smile because he doesn’t have much range of movement, but I see his mouth go up and it’s just great.”