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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

“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've been very fortunate, because I've been involved in things that very often lead to obscurity. I was in some pictures that were not successful whatsoever. I think people admire persistence. People notice that I'm still there.”

People Thinking Stills Successful Involved Admire Persistence Fortunate Obscurity

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think all men when they get older, they look at the mirror and they probably see their father a little bit.”

Thinking Men Looks Littles Father Bits Little Bit Mirrors

Author:Christopher Walken

“Death is wonderful because you can't think about it. How are you gonna think about it?”

Thinking Wonderful

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

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

Thinking Play Audience Impossible

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

“Too many young actors are strutting about and doing films without having developed some of the depth you need to bring off certain kinds of roles. I think that's the problem with the system, where a lot of younger actors who haven't had a chance to develop suddenly become stars.”

Thinking Needs Kind Problem Film Young Certain Actors Stars Chance Roles Havens Depth Young Actors Strutting

Author:Christopher Walken

“I'm scared of everything. I think it's only sensible to be that way.”

Thinking Way Scared Sensible

Author:Christopher Walken

“I've never done that [fighting for arole]. You hear about actors going in and saying, "You've got to let me read for this!" I've never done that. Lots of parts I've wanted and didn't get, but I think any actor would say that.”

Thinking Done Wanted Fighting Actors Let Me

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

“There's not a lot of talking between actors - either between actors or between actors and directors. People think that they sit in rooms and talk about psychology and motivations. I don't think that happens much.”

People Thinking Happens Motivation Actors Rooms Talking Psychology Directors

Author:Christopher Walken

“I grew up in music theater playing to the audience - singing and dancing and showing off. That's really my background. But the camera's different. I think I'm more at home on stage.”

Thinking Different Home Audience Stage Grew Grew Up Singing Theater Cameras Dancing Backgrounds Showing Off Singing And Dancing

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think that weddings have probably been crashed since the beginning of time. Cavemen crashed them. You go to meet girls. It makes sense.”

Thinking Girl Make Sense Wedding Cavemen

Author:Christopher Walken

“People think that my favorite roles to do are villains, but I find comedy to be the most challenging and rewarding.”

People Thinking Challenges Roles Comedy My Favorite Villain

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

“Also, I think there are huge reactions sometimes, which are also mysterious.”

Thinking Sometimes Huge Reactions Mysterious

Author:Christopher Walken

“I think I'm getting a little bit of Alzheimer's. Just a little.”

Thinking Littles Bits Little Bit Alzheimer Alzheimer's

Author:Christopher Walken

“Both my parents had heavy accents, and so did everybody they knew. It's a rhythm thing - people who speak English where they have to hesitate and think of the right word. And I think it rubbed off.”

People Thinking Speak Parent Heavy Rhythm Accents Right Words Speak English

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

“I think early on I knew what I was going to do and it was based a lot on familiarity but it was also because I didn't have a lot of skills. There was nothing I wanted t be. I didn't want to be a doctor. I wanted to be in show business.”

Thinking Want Shows Wanted Business Skills Doctors Show Business Familiarity

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 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

“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

“I think the fact that I was raised in show business, in New York City, in the '50s, that's affected my personality to the point that I'm a little different.”

Thinking Littles Different Facts Shows Cities New York Personality Raised Affected New York City Show Business

Author:Christopher Walken

“I've always been a character actor, although I'm not quite sure what that means. All my scripts are absolutely covered in notes, so any time I say anything - even 'pass the salt' - I have six subtexts, comments on what I really mean when I'm saying that. Maybe that's what gives the impression that I'm saying one thing and thinking something else.”

Thinking Giving Mean Character Actors One Thing Six Notes Scripts Impression Covered Comment Salt Say Anything Really Mean Character Actors Subtext

Author:Christopher Walken

“I've made movies that I thought were okay, but then I was very good. And sometimes you're in a movie and you think, 'I wish more people saw that' - because you're good. And it just works out that the movie gets lost. But that's show business.”

People Thinking Made Sometimes Shows Lost Wish Saws Okay Very Good Work Out Show Business

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

“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

“The best thing for me is, when I'm not working, is to be at home and to have a script or two scripts is better, and to be just walking around the house and just thinking about the lines.”

Thinking Two Home House Lines Walking Scripts Best Things

Author:Christopher Walken

“When I was a kid I joined the circus. I did that. It is true. But it's not like you think. There was a guy, he had his own circus. His name was Carol Jacobs and he owned it. It was a small thing.”

Thinking Kids Guy Names Like You Small Things Circus Jacob Carols

Author:Christopher Walken

“You hear about things happening to people - they slip in the bathtub, fall down the stairs, step off the curb in London because they think that the cars come the other way - and they die. You feel you want to die making an effort at something; you don't want to die in some unnecessary way.”

People Thinking Way Want Feels Dies Fall Effort Steps Car Happenings London Slips Unnecessary Falling Down Stairs Wanting To Die Curb Bathtubs

Author:Christopher Walken

“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you'll understand. Sometimes when I'm driving on the road at night I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”

Thinking I Can Two Sometimes Artist Night Turns Sound Car Glasses Driving Impulse Flames Rising Wheels Explosions Anticipate Gasoline Shattering Headlights Annie Hall Driving On

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

“Everybody has to be a little lucky, I think.”

Thinking Littles Lucky

Author:Christopher Walken

“I used to be prettier than I am, but I think I look better now. I was a pretty boy. Particularly in my early movies. I don’t like looking at them so much. There’s a sort of pretty thing about me.”

Thinking Looks Used Boys Used To Be Better Now Pretty Things Pretty Boy

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

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