Christoph Waltz has had a very, very good year, based largely on his amazing skill at acting like a despicable reptile. Waltz’ portrayal of Hans Landa won him every award this side of the Heisman Trophy, and turned him into an international star. And this made him very popular back in Austria, where, aside from the occasional he-man bodybuilder, they don’t produce many international stars. So it’s almost understandable that Waltz couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone that he’s not actually Austrian:

Born in Vienna, where he also went to school and studied drama, Waltz nevertheless holds a German passport like his father, although his mother is Austrian, the newspaper reported…. Lauded at home, where he was even received in March by Chancellor Werner Faymann, Waltz never breathed a word about his actual nationality.

You know who else wasn’t really Austrian, don’t you? No, wait… That guy actually was Austrian. Waltz is taking steps to correct this little problem, and he might become an Austrian citizen in the very near future. But for the time being, this is the sort of story that just screams for an “Irony” tag. How often are the Austrians shocked to learn that someone portraying a nefarious Nazi is really German?