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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 do like to work. Some jobs are better than others. That's the thing: You really don't know. I've enjoyed making movies for lots of different reasons. Sometimes, it was the other people. Sometimes, it was the fact that I was really good in it. Sometimes, it was the location. Sometimes, it was the paycheck.”

People Knows Different Sometimes Reason Facts Jobs Enjoyed Location Paychecks

Author:Christopher Walken

“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

“I don't think I'd be a good director because people would ask me, you know, "What is it? What's going on here? Where should I put the camera?" Or, "What's my motivation?" And I would say, "Do whatever you want!"”

People Thinking Knows Want Should Motivation Asks Directors Cameras Ask Me Should I Do Whatever You Want Good Directors

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

“I know that whenever I think about death, I come up against a stone wall.”

Thinking Knows Wall Stones Come Up Stone Walls

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

“Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. I never know how successful a movie is going to be - when you make a movie you're always hoping for the best.”

Knows Sometimes Know How Successful Work Out Hoping For The Best Things Work Out

Author:Christopher Walken

“Well, you know what they say. A bullet always tells the truth.”

Knows Wells Telling The Truth Bullets

Author:Christopher Walken

“I remember a few years ago I was sitting at home with my wife watching the Oscars. I was sitting on the couch and suddenly heard my voice. It's thrilling. It's interesting that a lot of guys do me. I have a friend who does me on his answering machine so when I call him I talk to myself. I don't really know what that comes from. It doesn't seem to me that I speak in a strange way. My wife says Kevin's (Spacey) the best.”

Knows Way Years Doe Home Seems Remember Guy Speak Voice Interesting Wife Heard Strange Sitting Years Ago Machines My Wife Oscars Thrilling Couches Kevin Answering Machines

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

“Of course they may have corrected it by now, but the original titles at the end of Annie Hall say "Christophe Vlaken." It was just inconceivable. These things are checked...I don't know what that was about. I'd never seen or heard of it. How they came up with the name Christophe Vlaken, it must've been a conspiracy. I did ask about it but nobody knew.”

Knows May Ends Courses Asks Names Heard Originals Titles Halls Conspiracy Annie Annie Hall

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 get a lot of invitations, and sometimes it's far away, it's in Montana or something. "We'd like you to come to our daughter's wedding." These are people I've never heard of. I get a lot that. "Will you come to my son's graduation?" No...I guess when you're in stuff, it's almost a feeling that they know you.”

People Knows Sometimes Feelings Stuff Heard Son Like You Daughter My Son Far Away Invitations Montana Our Daughter

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

“No, improvising is wonderful. But, the thing is that you cannot improvise unless you know exactly what you're doing.”

Knows Wonderful Improvising

Author:Christopher Walken

“And I think that when I play these villains, maybe what is different is that the audience sees me play these and they know that that's Chris and he's having fun and he knows that and he knows that and you know that and everybody knows that.”

Thinking Knows Different Play Fun Audience Having Fun Villain

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

“When you're onstage and you know you're bombing, that's very, very scary. Because you know you gotta keep going - you're bombing, but you can't stop.”

Knows Scary Keep Going Bombing

Author:Christopher Walken

“Acting is a bit like being an athlete. You spend all your time getting ready to do something for two minutes. All the things that made my career in the movies happen took two or three minutes, which is the time that it takes for a 'take'. In that time, something happens. That's what people know you for, just like someone running the hundred metres.”

People Knows Made Two Happens Running Three Bits Acting Careers Minutes Ready Hundred Athlete

Author:Christopher Walken

“Early on, I played one or two disturbed people, and I guess I must have been good at it, because it stuck. But, you know, I'm a regular guy. I stay home a lot, I make an effort to keep a distance from the whole social thing, the openings, the parties. I try to live in a calm way.”

People Knows Way Trying Has Beens Two Whole Home Guy Social Party Effort Distance Calm Stuck Opening Disturbed

Author:Christopher Walken

“I don't know why people eat so badly. I could eat pasta all the time, but it really is fattening. And I love ice cream, but I can't do that. There was a time, until I was in my mid-forties, when I could eat a whole pizza - and really, no effect.”

People Knows I Can Whole Effects Ice Forty Cream Ice Cream Pizza Pasta Fattening

Author:Christopher Walken

“I never know when I am being funny, and the other way too. I don't think you can think about that. I don't think you can try to be funny. Some people are just funny.”

People Thinking Knows Way Trying Funny Being Funny

Author:Christopher Walken

“My background is in musical comedy. I didn't know I was going to be an actor. But all my points of reference have to do with musical comedy and in being kind of a showoff.”

Knows Kind Actors Comedy Musical Backgrounds Be Kind Showoffs

Author:Christopher Walken

“No, but way before that, I've been doing little dances in movies for years. Yeah, that was an amazing chance. You know, at my age to be able to do a music dance video, very unusual.”

Knows Way Years Littles Age Able Chance Yeah Video Birthday Unusual 60th Birthday

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've never crashed a wedding. When I was a kid I, of course, used to crash parties. Crashing a wedding is difficult though because you have to have the suit, and you have to have information in case someone catches you. You have to know at least some names and something.”

Knows Kids Used Courses Names Difficult Party Cases Information Suits Wedding Crash Wedding Day

Author:Christopher Walken

“I've made movies that we're very successful that we're a complete surprise, and I've made movies that I thought we're going to be very successful that, you know.”

Knows Made Successful Surprise Movie

Author:Christopher Walken

“I have this theory about words. There's a thousand ways to say "Pass the salt". It could mean, you know, "Can I have some salt?" or it could mean, "I love you.". It could mean, "I'm very annoyed with you". Really, the list could go on and on. Words are little bombs, and they have a lot of energy inside them.”

Knows Way Mean Littles Energy Love You Theory Goes On Thousand Lists Bombs Salt Annoyed

Author:Christopher Walken

“My father passed away a couple of years ago, but he was very old. He was almost a 100 years old. And, you know, he had a very good life. He came to America and he had a good life.”

Knows Years America Father Couple Years Ago Very Good Good Life Passed Away Father Passed Away Very Good Life

Author:Christopher Walken

About the Author

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

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