Christopher Walken’s fancy feet
Walken, 67, started his career in musicals, and says his acting career happened “by chance.”
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Christopher Walken missed his calling, said David Michael in Total Film. “I’m not really an actor, I’m a dancer,” he says. Walken, 67, started his career in musicals, and says his acting career happened “by chance.” In 1977, he was cast in Annie Hall and The Deer Hunter, and soon found a niche as an actor playing “villains and people who are disturbed.” But he never forgot his dancing roots, and was thrilled when he got the chance to strut his stuff in 1981’s Pennies From Heaven.
Since then, Walken says, he’s always tried to sneak dance moves into his performances. One of his fondest film moments came in 1986’s At Close Range, when he improvised “quite a nice tour jeté. I take a couple of steps and spontaneously jump and spin in the air for no reason.” The fancy footwork led to roles in two music videos featuring Madonna and Fatboy Slim and a strange phone call from Marlon Brando in his later days. “He said, ‘You did a movie called Pennies From Heaven. I’d like to get in touch with the choreographer. I dance.’ He wanted to do a musical variety show from his house. He was very serious. He also told me he lost 100 pounds eating Saltines and drinking milk. It was very funny.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Today's political cartoons — October 1, 2023
Sunday's cartoons - retail theft, Bob Medendez's bribery charge, and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: October 1, 2023
Daily Briefing Government shutdown avoided as Congress passes temporary funding bill, Supreme Court to begin new term as major cases await, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
6 thrilling reads chosen by Ken Follett
Feature The historical novelist suggests works by Frank Herbert, Charles Dickens and more
By The Week Staff Published