Christopher Walken
He is not only one of my favorite actors, but also one of my favorite famous people. No matter how big or small the role, Mr. Walken has a habit of stealing the show: he makes every role he plays the perfect role for him. It turns out that most of these roles are disturbed and deranged characters, but if you need someone to play a disturbed and deranged character to a T, who ya gonna call? Well, it better damn well be Christopher Walken.
He has received plenty of critical acclaim from movies such as The Deer Hunter, The Dead Zone, and Catch Me If You Can. In my estimation, however, he truly perfected his craft in roles such as the best James Bond villain ever (Max Zorin), Vincenzo Coccotti in True Romance, the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow (despite limited head/face-time), and the best exterminator money can buy in Mousehunt (seriously, check it out). In addition to memorable movie parts, you can also find him in places you might not expect. He makes a great SNL host (skits like "The Continental" and "It Needs More Cowbell") and also a fine and nifty dancer (Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice video).
And sure, there have been a few potholes in the road that is Christopher Walken's career (Joe Dirt--gasp--Kangaroo Jack--shudder--Gigli--tremble, Christ, was he really in those?) Name one other person in any of those movies who is not worthy of my ire... and yet, Mr. Walken comes through unscathed. Perhaps it is because of his explanation, complements of Wikipedia: "Walken is noted for turning down roles only on very rare occasions. He stated in interviews that he won't turn down roles unless he's simply too busy working on other projects, since he regards each role as a learning experience." Bravo, Chris! All is forgiven!
But I do not love Christopher Walken solely for what he does, but also what he doesn't do. When I am at the grocery store check-out line, my eyes are drawn towards several questionable publications. And what I see is, quite frankly, despicable. But do I ever see Christopher Walken flashing his genitals? Does Christopher Walken flirt with Jessica Biel at Golden Globes after parties? (Geez, Justin Timberlake, you're supposed to respect your elders) Does Christopher Walken have affairs with his personal trainers? Does Christopher Walken hawk car insurance or deodorant in commercials? To my knowledge, the answer to all of these questions is no. Which is why, Sir, you are Something Good.
5 comments:
Could it be that Christopher Walken is not on the cover of any tabloid because . . . he is so FREAKING ugly and weird? It's possible. Just think about it. Think about it.
Whatever.. you like Christopher Walken. You just had a bad day at work and happen to not like anything at the moment.
Whether I had a bad day at work or not, whether I personally enjoy Christopher Walken as an eccentric actor or not has no bearing on the fact: Christopher Walken is one ugly MoFo.
Regardless of physical appearance, Walken is simply a genius actor. There is this moment in the aforementioned Fat Boy Slim video, before he starts dancing, where Walken is simply sitting in a chair, motionless, his face filled with despair and pain. Then, without a film edit, he stands up and begins dancing. It happens again at the end of the video where he's dancing, the music fades out, and there he sits, again alone, desperate, and tragic. That ability to convey both joy and pain, sometimes in the same breath, is a truly beautiful thing to watch.
But really, Pete, we're supposed to forgive "Wedding Crashers"?
Dude.. it was a "learning experience". It's like the perfect alibi for good actors who wind up in crappy movies. Far more endearing than, "My baby momma needed a new Bentley."
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