Patio Pondering: When the Right Role Waltzes In

The sky is clear and the air has a slight chill as the sun begins its trek across the late October sky here in Indiana. I’m back to my normal Dark Roast grind, coffee in hand, watching excavators move dirt on my neighbor’s farm for a new chicken house.

For some reason, my social media feed served up two references to Inglourious Basterds this morning, both about Christoph Waltz.

The first was a clip of Simon Sinek explaining how Waltz responded when asked how he managed to channel the evil needed to play Colonel Hans Landa. According to Sinek, Waltz looked puzzled by the question, and after a pause simply said, “He wasn’t evil.”

The idea that we all see ourselves as good, on the right side of history, could fill volumes. But the second video about Christoph struck a deeper chord; it felt more human, more familiar.

That second clip showed Quentin Tarantino describing how close he came to shelving Inglourious Basterds because he couldn’t find anyone to play the complex role of Hans Landa. Every audition fell short until Christoph walked into the room. He didn’t just read the part; he became it. Tarantino later said Waltz “saved the movie.”

In later interviews, Waltz reflected that Tarantino “plucked me out of comfortable resignation, out of self-pity.” By most counts, he had already built a respectable career, yet he was languishing, working steadily but without spark, convinced his best days were behind him. Then came a role unlike any he had played before, one that revealed a side of his talent few had ever seen and ultimately made him one of the most memorable villains of our time.

It made me wonder how often we typecast people in our work lives. How often leaders, teams, or even peers look at someone’s title or past role and assume that’s all they can offer. We reduce experience to a label, forgetting that most of us carry far more depth, creativity, and adaptability than a business card can hold.

We forget that sometimes the right role, the right opportunity, or the right moment just hasn’t walked into the room yet. My friend Jim Bishop recently wrote about his transformation from a corporate climber to private consultant. His words are worth your time.

Maybe the real challenge isn’t just about seeing others or ourselves differently, but leading in a way that gives people space to rediscover themselves, regardless of their title or where they are in their career path.

How often do we typecast others, or ourselves, and overlook the talent sitting right in front of us?