With news swirling about studio suitors for Quentin Tarantino's long-gestating, Nazi-scalping WWII epic Inglorious Bastards — which he's famously promised to cast, shoot, and edit in time for next year's Cannes Film Festival — we spoke Tuesday to the only actor who was ever "confirmed" to appear in the film (in the role of "Babe Buchinsky," a part that no longer exists in the most recent draft of the script). So, is he in Bastards or what?

“I wish I knew the answer to that, but it's like asking McCain who his V.P. is gonna be,” said Madsen. “I've been on the IMDb connected to that project for a very long time, but they're taking it to a studio and therefore my participation in the project is unknown, because that's a different world. I have to wait and count on Quentin to pull me in at the last minute and give me a decent role. I hope that he does, but I'm certainly not going to stay awake at night worrying about it. I'm gainfully employed, and expect to be for some time. I love to work for Quentin and hope that I'm in it, but if I'm not, it doesn't fucking mean that I'm going to jump off a cliff.”

“I had a great role in [Mark Mahon's] Strength and Honour, and the film hasn't been realized yet — I've been in a couple things that haven't been realized yet,” Madsen continued. “I'm not gonna just hang my hat on Inglorious Bastards and say, 'This is the one for me.' You never know what that's gonna be, and you can't spend your life thinking about it. You'll make a great film when you least expect it, or don't really anticipate it … I don't have a crystal ball or time machine, I can't know what's going to happen. I just want longevity.” Of course, a Nazi scalp or two would probably be nice as well. —Brent Simon

Earlier: Casting ‘Inglorious Bastards’
We’ve Got Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’ Script
Brad Pitt’s Imminent Paternity to Further Complicate Timely Completion of Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’?