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Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken Quotes

Actor

Christopher Walken, born on March 31, 1943, is a renowned American actor. Known for his distinctive acting style and versatile character portrayals, he has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards and won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in 'Patton' in 1982.

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All Thinking Actors Knows People Ifs Play Way Made Guy Littles Kind Bits Shows Sometimes Villain Looks Kids Scripts Want Years

Famous Christopher Walken Quotes

“I got to playing villains-I don't know how. I think it's like anything else, in the movies in particular that if you establish yourself as something and you're lucky enough to keep getting hired. You know, there are guys who play the guy who gets the girl, guys who are the best friend of that guy, there's the funny guy, the villain.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Enough Play Guy Girl Know How Particular Lucky Villain That Guy Funny Guy

Author:Christopher Walken

“In rehearsal you have a good accident that you can repeat.In the movies if you have a good accident you hope the camera's running.”

Ifs Running Cameras Accidents Repeats Rehearsal

Author:Christopher Walken

“It's very bizarre though when you get hired and then the director will say, "I know how this goes." And you're thinking, "Wait a minute, I thought that I was doing this" but basically what they really want, especially if they wrote it, is they want you to do it as they imagined it. It's virtually impossible.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Want Waiting Know How Impossible Minutes Directors Bizarre

Author:Christopher Walken

“A good actor is like a racehorse or a Ferrari. If a cylinder is missing on a Chevy, it's doesn't matter that much. But if something's not working right on a Ferrari, it makes a big difference. It's the three percent that makes the difference between good and great. It's a fine line. If you're not there, it's very painful.”

Ifs Matter Bigs Three Actors Differences Lines Missing Fine Percent Painful Good Actors Fine Lines Ferrari Chevy Cylinders Racehorses

Author:Christopher Walken

“If you're an actor, a hard thing is to stick around, to stay viable. I try to do that by taking the opportunity to do something different every once in awhile.”

Ifs Trying Different Hard Actors Opportunity Sticks Hard Things

Author:Christopher Walken

“If you do movies that are modestly budgeted, the way they finance them is they figure out how they can sell them.”

Ifs Way Figures Sells Finance

Author:Christopher Walken

“If you play a king, it's better if everybody treats you like a king.”

Ifs Play Kings Treats

Author:Christopher Walken

“I feel like you are this or that because other people say so. I wouldn't know how to play a psychopath. I don't think about it that way. You think about playing the scene but if the other people say that guy is crazy, then you are.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Way Feels Play Guy Know How Crazy Like You Scene That Guy Psychopath

Author:Christopher Walken

“There are certain directors where you know you're going to be good or you're not going to be there. There are people where you kind of know that if you miss the mark then it'll probably not be in the movie and that's very reassuring.”

People Ifs Knows Kind Certain Missing Directors Mark Be Good Reassuring

Author:Christopher Walken

“Growing up in New York is like living in a horror museum because there are so many strange people walking the streets and riding the subways. You learn to develop a tough front if you live here, just in case you get into any kind of trouble and you need to talk your way out of it.”

People Ifs Way Needs Kind Cases Growing Up Growing Trouble Streets Fronts New York Strange Walking Horror Tough Museums Riding Subway

Author:Christopher Walken

“It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. If I were a director, I'd try to hire the best people I could and then leave them alone. I don't know much about cameras or lighting, so I'd make sure that I had a really good cameraman who understood lenses and lighting, and I say to him, "This is the scene we have to shoot and this is what I think it should be, you go do it." Same with actors. But really, very good directors who know everything do basically the same thing. They hire you and then they leave you alone.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Should Trying Actors Scene Directors Understood Cameras Very Good Be You Lenses Lighting Good Directors Cameraman

Author:Christopher Walken

“I want to make movies on a soundstage. They close the door and it's nighttime, daytime. If it has to rain, they make the rain. That's what I like.”

Ifs Want Doors Rain Daytime Nighttime

Author:Christopher Walken

“If I show somebody something that I've written and they say, "Eh...alright," I just put it away and I never show it to anyone again. But I know people who won't take no for an answer, and eventually someone pays attention.”

People Ifs Knows Shows Answers Pay Attention Written Pay Attention Alright

Author:Christopher Walken

“I remember that. I was talking to him and I said how great it would be if actors had a tail because I have animals and a tail is so expressive. On a cat you can tell everything. You can tell if they're annoyed. You can tell whether they're scared.”

Ifs Said Would Be Remember Actors Animal Talking Cat Scared Tails Annoyed Expressive Talking To Him

Author:Christopher Walken

“Because if I don't know my lines, I really don't know what I'm doing.”

Ifs Knows Reality Lines

Author:Christopher Walken

“I always like to watch comics and it's interesting that you can tell if someone's funny in 10 seconds.”

Ifs Funny Interesting Watches Seconds

Author:Christopher Walken

“It's interesting - a lot of good actors are good mimes. But I'm terrible. If I tried to do an impression, nobody would know what I was doing.”

Ifs Knows Actors Interesting Terrible Impression Good Actors Mime

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think if you do something effectively whether you're the lover or the comic or the action guy or the villain like I play; movies are very expensive to make. Chances are you'll get asked to play that part again.”

Ifs Thinking Play Action Guy Chance Lovers Comic Expensive Villain Chances Are

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think that a good movie creates its own world, and that world needn't refer to anything that's real. If it's consistent, if it's entertaining, if it's interesting, it justifies its being there.”

Ifs Thinking World Real Interesting Consistent Justify Entertaining Being There Good Movie

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think that if I had grown up and had been in show business and the movies twenty five, thirty years earlier, I think I would have made a lot more musical movies.”

Ifs Thinking Years Made Shows Business Five Twenties Musical Thirty Show Business Thirty Years Twenty Five

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think the fact that I grew up in show business had a real effect on my personality. If you were born in New York during the golden age of television, and you grew up on Broadway, that marks you.”

Ifs Thinking Real Facts Shows Age Born Effects New York Television Grew Personality Grew Up Mark Golden Broadway Show Business Golden Age

Author:Christopher Walken

“Laurence Olivier said in an interview once that when he plays a tragedy he always aims for the funny parts, and the other way around. Because in a comedy you look for what's serious. I think that's true. Sometimes things are really funny if you're absolutely earnest. If you're really serious, it's hilarious.”

Ifs Thinking Way Looks Said Sometimes Play Funny Comedy Serious Tragedy Aim Interviews Earnest

Author:Christopher Walken

“My own way of thinking is very conservative, very linear and not particularly imaginative, but if I look for things in different places, sometimes things happen.”

Ifs Thinking Way Looks Different Sometimes Happens My Own Conservative Things Happen Imaginative Way Of Thinking Different Place Linear

Author:Christopher Walken

“The last time I did a movie that needed a horse, I said: 'If it moves, I'm out of here.' The worst thing is, they know when you're afraid and act up accordingly. I've had them run off on me. Horses I do not like.”

Ifs Knows Said Running Lasts Moving Worst Needed Horse Last Time Worst Things

Author:Christopher Walken

“The minute I start to talk about acting, I realize that I can't. You know, it's an abstract thing, a little bit mysterious even if you do it for a living.”

Ifs Knows Littles I Can Bits Realizing Acting Minutes Little Bit Mysterious Abstract

Author:Christopher Walken

“The thing about cooking is it's so interesting to watch. I don't know why, but if you go to somebody's house and they're making something, they usually say interesting things while they're cooking.”

Ifs Knows House Interesting Watches Cooking Interesting Things

Author:Christopher Walken

“You know, there's nothing you can do about your public image. It is what it is. I just try to do things honestly. I guess honesty is what you would call subjective: if you feel good about what you're doing, yourself, if you figure you're doing the right thing.”

Ifs Knows Feels Trying Can Do Honesty Figures Honestly Feel Good Right Thing Subjective Doing The Right Thing It Is What It Is Public Image

Author:Christopher Walken

“Acting has to do with saying it as if you meant it, so for me the words are always very important. It's very important for me to know my lines, know them so well that I don't have to think about them.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Wells Important Lines Acting

Author:Christopher Walken

“I'm better off not socializing. I make a better impression if I'm not around.”

Ifs Inspirational Impression Better Off Socializing

Author:Christopher Walken

About the Author

Born: March 31, 1943
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 202

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