Movies
Rex Features
The 46-year-old stars as Colonel Count Claus Von Stauffenberg, the man who led the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler using a bomb concealed in a briefcase.
"I knew it would be controversial. We’ve never seen this perspective before. But I couldn’t ignore it because the story is so compelling," he told the Mail On Sunday.
"It’s about trying to bring down the greatest evil in the world from the inside. That makes for a fantastic thriller."
The actor insisted that he was prepared for the criticism that the movie courted, including objection from the German government over his Scientology religion, because he has faced controversy throughout his entire career.
"I’ve done controversial films before. With Rain Man they were hanging Dustin Hoffman and me out to dry. With Interview With The Vampire [author] Anne Rice took out a full-page ad against me taking the part.
"When I did Eyes Wide Shut with Kubrick it was controversial. There have always been these things. But I like challenging roles."
Valkyrie opens in the UK on January 23.
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