Stephen Hawking wants to play a Bond villain

Physicist Stephen Hawking has told Wired U.K. that he would love to play a villain in a James Bond movie.

"My ideal role would be a baddie in a James Bond film," Hawking said. "I think the wheelchair and the computer voice would fit the part."

Hawking, 72, has previously played himself in an episode of Star Trek and will appear on a Monty Python reunion show. He graces the cover of Wired U.K.'s latest issue, out Thursday, discussing everything from his speech synthesizer to his scientific discoveries.

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Hawking told the magazine that he enjoys his computerized voice because it helps him communicate about science with others. "It is important that the public understands basic science, if they are not to leave vital decisions to others," Hawking said.

The James Bond franchise hasn't seen a wheelchair-bound villain since John Hollis' unnamed villain in 1981's For Your Eyes Only, The A.V. Club notes. But if anyone can change that, it's probably Hawking.