Home / Authors / Christopher Walken

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.

Filter quotes by topic

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

“Well, I don't play heroes obviously. I never played the guy who gets the girl. It might be interesting to do a part where I was a father in a functional family.”

Wells Play Might Guy Girl Father Interesting Hero

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

“In the theater you rehearse for a minimum of five to six weeks. And then you get to play it. Which means you get to get better. That's the great thing about the theater.”

Mean Play Five Week Six Theater Great Things Get Better Minimum

Author:Christopher Walken

“Usually in the first performances I'm completely panicked. And I pull myself together. By the time you get to the end of the play, you really start to have fun.”

Firsts Ends Play Together Fun Performances Having Fun

Author:Christopher Walken

“I wasn't a trained actor, I was trained in musical comedy theater, and when you do that, the audience is completely part of the thing. It's like Elizabethan theater. You play the scene, and then you turn - the audience is part of it.”

Play Turns Actors Audience Comedy Scene Theater Musical Elizabethan

Author:Christopher Walken

“It's impossible for me to play a part without thinking about the audience.”

Thinking Play Audience Impossible

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

“I'm a character actor. I have to find work in good movies where I can make something of my role. I'm a very lucky guy to be in that kind of position. It's like a kid who dreams of becoming a baseball player and then he gets to play for the Yankees.”

Kind I Can Play Character Dream Kids Guy Actors Roles Player Position Becoming Lucky Baseball Yankees Good Movie Baseball Player Character Actors Lucky Guy

Author:Christopher Walken

“I don't usually get to play fathers or grandfathers or uncles. Now that I'm older, maybe I can play people closer to myself. I'd like that.”

People I Can Play Father Grandfather Uncles

Author:Christopher Walken

“I became an actor kind of by accident. I was in musical theater and I got a job as an actor in a play and kept going. But I never set out to be an actor; it happened over time.”

Kind Play Jobs Actors Happened Theater Musical Accidents Musical Theater

Author:Christopher Walken

“I play so many villains and strange, troubled people. I don't have that kind of life. I live in the country. I've been married nearly 50 years. I have a cat.”

People Years Kind Country Play Strange Married Cat Villain

Author:Christopher Walken

“I don't have a lot of hobbies. I don't play golf. I don't have any children. Things that occupy people's time. I just try to take jobs.”

People Trying Children Play Jobs Golf Hobbies

Author:Christopher Walken

“As an actor you become that lighting rod between the person who made the play and the audience.”

Persons Made Play Actors Audience Lighting

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

“I don't much like being directed. I enjoy being allowed to play.”

Author:Christopher Walken

“I don't play lovers. I wish I did. At least once I'd like to have a crack at one of those guys. A heartbreaker. Some people are born to it. I'm not.”

People Play Guy Wish Born Lovers Cracks Heartbreaker

Author:Christopher Walken

“I play disturbed people a lot, but always with a bit of distance or tongue-in-cheek. Most of the villains I play are essentially harmless.”

People Play Bits Distance Tongue Villain Cheeks Disturbed Tongue In Cheek

Author:Christopher Walken

“Also for me it was different because I play a lot of villains and in this one I play a dad and I play a good guy, basically. He's the Secretary of the Treasury. I never had a job like that.”

Different Play Jobs Guy Dad Villain Secretary Good Guy Treasury

Author:Christopher Walken

“I certainly have never been an actor who can play the Everyman guy - or, I don't tend to get those parts. I've tended to play eccentrics. I've played a lot of villains, of course.”

Play Guy Courses Actors Villain Everyman

Author:Christopher Walken

“I play a lot of, maybe a little bit, cartoonish people. I've been a Bond villain, and I play a lot of villains, people who want to take over something.”

People Want Littles Play Bits Little Bit Villain

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 sometimes when they see me in a movie they expect me to be something nasty. I mean, I play a lot of villains and you show up and they think maybe... That's why it's good to defy expectations sometimes.”

Thinking Mean Sometimes Play Shows Expectations Villain Nasty

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

“One thing that's happened to me is I've been around a long time and I've played a lot of villains and so forth. I think it had to do with, well one thing is that I looked younger than I was for a long time. Now I think I'm suddenly starting to play people's father.”

People Thinking Wells Long Play Father Happened One Thing Long Time Starting Villain

Author:Christopher Walken

“An actor really is a kind of intermediary between an audience and the piece, whether it's a play or movie.”

Kind Play Actors Audience Pieces Movie

Author:Christopher Walken

“I tend to play mostly villains and twisted people. Unsavory guys. I think it's my face, the way I look.”

People Thinking Way Looks Play Faces Guy Appearance Villain Twisted

Author:Christopher Walken

About the Author

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

Related Topics

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

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
Billy Bob ThorntonBrowse related quotes
Jack NicholsonBrowse related quotes
Robert PattinsonBrowse related quotes
Morgan FreemanBrowse related quotes
Jake GyllenhaalBrowse related quotes
Jeff BridgesBrowse related quotes
Meryl StreepBrowse related quotes
John C. ReillyBrowse related quotes