What Happened to Christopher Walken?

a dark and mysterious figure Glides its way through a rooftop Hollywood party it seemed to be almost floating through the crowd like a vampire with dance skills this monster of a Man reveals himself to be Academy Award winner Christopher Walken and he was just walking up to Mel Gibson at this particular party a screenplay for a potential future collaboration needed to be discussed between these two gentlemen but all they could seem to talk about was medieval torture each man trying to top the other with more and more gruesome torturous Tales then the air suddenly turned cold and even Mel Gibson was freaked out he was so freaked out that he no longer wanted to work with this talented madman Mel then turned his head and noticed an illuminated number six appearing three times in the distance on a nearby building all this medieval torture talk in the cold air in the 666 stuff well it just made Christopher Walken smile leaving Mr Mel Gibson the director of The Passion of the Christ to believe that Christopher Walken is the Antichrist I give up who are you the Antichrist or maybe it was just a weird and creepy misunderstanding and Mel Gibson and Christopher Walken are just joking around either way it's still an interesting thought but what made Mel Gibson think these things about Mr Christopher Walken was it his creepy Soul penetrating stare or was Christopher Walken just being hilarious and messing with Mel or was it Christopher Walken's unusual speech pattern two little mice fell in a bucket of cream oh yes we definitely have to talk about the way he talks it seems like everybody has a Christopher Walken impression which I will not be doing you're welcome I mean you're welcome I think everyone does an impression of Christopher Walken because he's just he's such an easy kind you know I feel like what this show needs is more cowbell pineapple [Laughter] I like I like to eat it one-on-one ESPN St Louis Sports and although Christopher Walken has given many many chilling wrenching memorable performances he might be best known to most moviegoers as the freaky guy with a strange speech pattern who emphasizes random words alongside unpredictable pauses which can result in pure Terror or pure comedy I put my pants on just like the rest of your one leg at a time except once my pants are on I make gold records much like the people he plays on screen Christopher Walken is an unusual character he never buys clothes he just steals the Wardrobe from his movies which may be because he never tries to get into character or prepare for a role Christopher Walken just claims that he just plays versions of himself because himself is the only thing he knows that's kind of Genius pretty good huh all Mr Walken does is memorize his lines he actually removes all punctuation from the scripts and just memorizes every word and just lets himself say it like he would often turning statements into questions and questions into statements you know periods and question marks but Christopher Walken has found that that is the perfect way to unleash his inner demon or his inner goofball I'm not crazy you know that's right the dude can scare the crap out of you and then in the next second or in the next film he will crack you up with his hilarious silly antics he is the cowbell that this world needed more of I gotta have more cowbell baby so yeah comedy drama horror only the greatest performers can cover a spectrum that wide yet Christopher Walken says that he will turn down any role that feels like it was specifically written for him he does not like it when a screenwriter walkenizes a character that's out of the question that's just uh not the way I do it so how and when did Christopher Walken go from brilliant oscar-winning actor to a brilliant hilarious parody of himself well let's find out cause it's time to ask that question and that question is what the happened to Christopher Walken what do you want to know do you wanna you wanna know the future you want to know if you're going to die is that it but to truly understand what the happened to Christopher Walken we must begin at the beginning and the beginning began when he was born on his birthday 1943 New York City birth name Ronald Walken and apparently his trademark voice came from his parents Christopher Walken claims that he pauses and emphasizes so much because his immigrant parents had to speak in a similar calculated way because they were searching in their minds and trying to find the right word because English was their second language so Christopher Walken did grow up in a house full of people doing Christopher Walken impressions just like that Saturday Night Live skit it's my brother John's wedding 15 years ago that wedding was so nuts later sometime after working as a lion tamer that's right Christopher Walken was a lion tamer look at this lion he's the king of the jungle huge mane up here after his lion tamer days he dropped out of college to pursue an acting career in Off-Broadway musicals Christopher Walken's stage work would lead to a special Drama Desk award in 1970 and in 1972 he landed his first starring role in the happiness cage but his true breakout would be in Woody Allen's Annie Hall in 1977 playing Dwayne the brother of Diane Keaton it's only a two-part scene but those two scenes that Christopher Walken is in are some of the funniest moments in Annie Hall and it was around this time that Christopher Walken was being considered for Han Solo as you know Christopher Walken did not become Han Solo but I'm sure he would have done something interesting with it after a small role in the really effective film The Sentinel which was capitalizing on the decades satanic Cinema boom and then Mr Walken would show that he is a master at the deranged and the dramatic when Christopher Walken was cast in the deer hunter from Master filmmaker Michael Cimino Christopher Walken portrays a character who goes through a physical and emotional Monsoon from Blue Collar steel mill worker to Vietnam soldier 2 psychologically damaged zombie basically the whole thing it's crazy it is such a calculated Decline and Christopher Walken somehow makes it feel so gradual and natural even if the narrative makes it feel sudden Christopher would invest his mind body and soul into this character and lost a lot of weight by only eating rice and bananas but all of it paid off because he won an Oscar a well-deserved Oscar for best supporting actor it is probably one of the most chilling depictions of a prisoner of war or a soldier with PTSD or just you know a sad person in general the world really needed to see this type of character on screen to help us understand what the soldiers went through and sometimes only Cinema can do that after a small role in Jonathan Demis last Embrace Christopher Walken would team up with Michael Cimino again for the Hollywood punchline of a failure an epic epic failure Heaven's Gate which has gone on to have the reputation it deserves yes it is a work of Genius it is Master filmmaking but it did cause the end of the auteur era of filmmaking then the studio started to take over but it's not Christopher Walken's fault do it man you're very lucky you're not dead already that same year Christopher Walken would go to war again this time in Africa for the film The Dogs of War just when Christopher Walken seemed to be settling into a mode he would surprise everybody with 1981's Pennies from Heaven finally putting his dance skills that he learned in his youth to work delivering a defining and surprising moment in his career the dude could dance and it's actually an overall Charming performance 1983 brought two interesting movies one was David cronenberg's The Dead Zone playing a school teacher who developeds psychic abilities and with this wonderfully demented and hypnotic turn he helped secure his place as one of the most essential offbeat actors out there you need somebody to do some weird stuff but still make it believable and have some emotion and drama behind it will you just call Christopher Walken the house is burning your daughter's in the house also that year there would be brainstorm a posthumous film featuring Natalie Wood so I guess now would be a good time to talk about the Natalie Wood story and Christopher Walken's connection to the night she mysteriously died in 1981 legendary actress Natalie Wood disappeared while on a boat trip with her then husband Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken tragically Natalie would soon be found dead as a result of quote unquote drowning as the lore goes Wagner and Walkin had an argument about an alleged Affair between wood and walking during the spat the domestic dispute is allegedly when Natalie Wood went missing Christopher Walken was never an official suspect walk-in has denied any knowledge saying that he does not know what happened quote she slipped and fell in the water I was in bed then it was a terrible thing end quote whether or not walking knows anything more about the death of Natalie Wood is one of Hollywood's greatest Mysteries and the case remains open to this very day and did his connection to this tragedy affect his career in any way well I don't think so for me it doesn't matter see I think you who's sweating this in the following years he would play two of his greatest characters yet they were bad guys antagonists as you would call them in 1985 Christopher Walken would get the opportunity to take on the coveted spot in movie history as a bond villain this time in the film A View to a Kill as Nazi byproduct Max zorin walking doesn't play the standard super villain but rather he showed what he could do with villainous roles take potentially one-dimensional threats and create fully realized antagonists characters with layers and motivations which would bring legitimate presence to the screen which a bond villain needs to play if it's going up against you know James Bond and these types of villains help Drive the plot which Christopher Walken did exactly just that mission accomplished Bond villain I told you not to disturb us very important important but unfortunately even though Christopher Walken did a really great job this Bond movie is uh bottom to your bond but Christopher Walken makes for one of the franchise's most memorable villains 1986 brought on the film at close range where Christopher Walken plays a career criminal at odds with his son and anyone else in his way going toe-to-toe with actor Sean Penn Watkin gives a truly evil performance here but unfortunately walking would end the 1980s on a string of low notes interesting movies that didn't really do much like 1988's Biloxi blues again playing a military character a movie called homeboy a movie called The Milago beanfield war and a live action telling of Puss and Boots [Music] right here but in 1989 he did a film that had a lot of potential communion which is based on a true alien abduction story and yes this movie gets a little out of control but it's all based on real things that actually happen so it's okay to get out of control because it's all Real and True right I have no idea I have no idea but look at all this wacky wacky stuff going on here the only human being you can place in the middle of all of this nonsense is Christopher Walken who might very well be an extraterrestrial anyway but unfortunately communion ended up being a dud I'm talking to you like you were real go to hell walk-in would walk into the 1990s similar to how he started his career working with really influential genre defining directors like Paul Schrader's the comfort of strangers and he would headline Abel ferreira's King of New York and this right here it was Watkins most riveting most intimidating performance that we had seen in a while he freaking owns this film he is the king of New York King of the movie The King of New York it is one of his most despicable characters walking makes no attempt to make us like him or even sympathize at all I must have been away too long because my feelings are dead I I feel no remorse this is who the character is there's nothing you can do about it but it wasn't all drama and chilling performances in 1990 as this was the first year he hosted Saturday Night Live SNL and Christopher Walken made one of the greatest SNL host debuts ever introducing viewers to the Continental a first person skit it's so original and fresh and he's freaking perfect in it it is a role that he would reprise multiple times which is a very rare feat for a host to have a reoccurring character a decade later Christopher Walken would do what could easily be considered one of the most memorable SNL sketches ever of all time when he brought the world just what we needed more cowbell I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell it is undoubtedly the finest straight performance ever given he never breaks character not for one moment not for one second and that cannot be said about everybody in the scene yes somehow through his demeanor and his verbalisms that made him basically a parody of himself he was able to take that parody of himself and use it in a genius genuine way that made him stand out amongst all the funny people who have ever appeared on this gosh darn comedy show proving himself to be the most prolific of actors who could always provide engaging performances in a range of movies for some reason Christopher Walken was pushed into the direct to video market for a bit like in 1991's All-American murder and a movie called McBain which he played another Vietnam vet there was also the Oddball dramedy mistress in 1992 so just as we thought that the 90s weren't gonna have anything to do with Christopher Walken he gained a whole new fan base and threw himself into the pop culture Juggernaut that was the Batman franchise with Batman Returns playing Max Shrek a scheming industrialist who's up to no good nothing surprises me chip such a late mother I mean it was really awesome to see Christopher Walken thrown into this Batman movie surrounded by a bat and a penguin and a cat it was good he was good in this movie the next year Christopher Walken would play yet another sick son of a in Tony Scott's True Romance bitten out words written by Quentin Tarantino some of the best some of the most Politically Incorrect words ever thrown out of a character's mouth but you know what these characters are not good people so they're not gonna say good things not only is this the most memorable scene in True Romance it is one of the most memorable scenes to come out of the 1990s or other decades too and it's just a simple scene it's just a few guys acting it's a little game of show and tell you don't show me nothing but tell me everything on paper His True Romance character isn't a stretch he's a gangster with a short fuse but of course his iconic eggplant scene is delivered with such calculated patience that yeah like I said it makes it one of the most classic of 1990s crime movies or of crime movies in general and while he was doing all that he also gave gave a pretty funny performance in Wayne's World too you want me to say what like I don't get it is that it then for some reason Christopher Walken would try out a romantic comedy the film called a business Affair in 1994 but also in that year 1994 he would turn in what somehow became a trademark role that of Captain Coons in Pulp Fiction five long years he wore this watch up his ass then he died of dysentery it's just one scene it's basically a cameo but spitting out more of these Quentin Tarantino words with this strangely hilarious monologue Christopher Walken secured his legacy with just one scene one scene is all he needs guys in 1995 Christopher Walken would return to the stage directing and writing as well as starring as none other than his childhood hero Elvis Presley in him for a few years around that time Christopher Walken had a string of ultimately forgettable yet interesting movies sure there were some winners and some standout performances here and there like 1985's vampire movie the addiction again from Abel Ferreira and that movie The Prophecy in 1995 which is passable only because of Christopher Walken's brilliant deranged performance as Gabriel there was also a movie called things to do in Denver when you're dead he went up against Johnny Depp in the action thriller nick of time of course we cannot forget his performance in last man standing there was also a movie called the funeral and Suicide Kings among many others but at this point Christopher Walken was kind of just a version of Christopher Walken and not that that's a bad thing but you know the depth that his characters once had seem to have grown shallow having at some point turned into self-parody and I don't think it's exactly possible to precisely pinpoint the moment that Christopher Walken became a walking talking joke not but that's a bad thing I like the joke don't get me wrong but I think it happened around this time the late 90s you know what I think it happened when he star started hunting mice and hiding in a Fallout bunker with Brendan Fraser and of course I love these movies Mouse hunt and blast from the past but it didn't seem like he was playing a character it was just like it was just Christopher Walken and this Christopher Walken playing Christopher Walken sort of hit a peak with 1998's ants it's the one that's not A Bug's Life this was his first voice role that obviously cast him because of how distinct and recognizable and amusing it would be to hear Christopher Walken's Voice come out of an insect and it was gosh darn it but still perhaps the only truly memorable role that Christopher Walken had at the end of the 90s was with Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow playing The Headless Horseman he he was the head and it's the stuff of nightmares like seriously oh my goodness [Music] although his performance was greatly aided by those special effects and that makeup it is a highlight real turn watch Sleepy Hollow and you'll probably agree with Mel Gibson on that part not on other things Mel Gibson says then came the New Millennium and Christopher Walken seemed to step up his game a bit started being a little more prolific and became a Mainstay in every genre of movie you could imagine it was at this time that he went back to the prophecy franchise with the third movie and he further showed his love for the stage in the Tony winning the dead and the seagull while also appearing in a Macbeth adaptation Scotland PA really that entire decade had been a more extreme version of Watkins mid to late 90s the occasional flicker of a brilliant performance and lots of cash-ins it seemed that everyone was well aware that audiences mostly wanted a kooky guy with a weird voice but let's break it down in 2001 he was in America's Sweethearts and he was probably the best part about that movie he then had a small role as a janitor in Joe Dirt which kind of turned out to be the perfect role for him you're talking to me all wrongs it's the wrong town you do it again I stab your face with a soldering iron but before we go any further we have to rewind because it was at this point that Christopher Walken gained yet another dimension of fans starring in Fatboy Slim's weapon of choice music video first video he was in Madonna's bad girl and skid rows breaking down but this music video right here was revolutionary it was directed by legendary Visionary Spike Jones and the video showcases Christopher Walken's history of dance and as surprising as it may be he yet again was keeping audiences on their toes this music video is beautiful it's like a dream it's just a guy dancing alone in like a hotel or something but his moves they will hypnotize you and inspire you then it becomes almost like a surreal ballet and even though Spike Jones is behind the camera I don't think this would have worked with anybody else 2002 was another curious year for Christopher Walken he would play another tough guy in pool hall junkies and he would play the main villain in country bears but after you're appearing in the really fun action movie starring The Rock The Rundown playing another bad guy he started working with Master filmmaker Tony Scott appearing in the film man on fire stealing a lot of scenes in that one and the movie Domino showing that if Christopher Walken is working with the right filmmaker he can deliver delicious movie Magic everybody could feel like it was time for Christopher Walken to shine again and they were right nearly a quarter Century after his Academy award-winning performance in the deer hunter Christopher Walken earned his second best supporting actor nomination for Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can it is a surprisingly tender performance Walken plays a caring but flawed father showing that sort of emotional depth that we started to take for granted from him which could be his own fault my son bought me a Cadillac today I think that calls for a toast and and that was his last great performance arguably there are good ones sure but you're watching them for the amusement of Christopher Walken doing his Christopher Walken thank but he has further proven that even his over-the-top zany performances benefit most from strong dialogue and something interesting to chew on the finest examples would be when he did the gangster thing again in the 2011 film Kill the Irishman then again in 2012 Seven Psychopaths playing off of one of the best scripts of his career with dialogue by Martin McDonough and we cannot forget 2016's the Jungle Book where he would play King Louie the gigantopithecus I would also like to mention one of the Christopher Walken's most finest silly goofy characters where he gets to sing and dance and be silly and Goofy while also being a caring father and husband in 2017's Hairspray tangoing with a fat suit cross-dressing John Travolta and I don't know about you but I find it hilarious every time Christopher Walken just goes head over heels for John Travolta there's a scene where John Travolta shakes his booty and Christopher Walken just like Jiggles and vibrates with seduction like what I don't know but yeah the bulk of his recent output has been goofy eccentric off-kilter and freaking hilarious he's perfect at playing people who behave strangely and get little quippy lines that can play off the leads and yeah we sort of love it think about the character he played in Click hilarious or the character he played in Wedding Crashers freaking funny even the character in Envy I chuckled there was The Stepford Wives he worked with Robin Williams and Man of the Year and yeah he was laugh out loud funny in that ping-pong Kung Fu comedy Balls of Fury you have any idea how hard it is to get a panda these days that'll be hard then he decided to go on live TV for some reason and be Captain Hook and the Peter Pan musical that's live Peter Pan live in 2014 and it was good good day Christopher Walken back to his musical Roots I think but the funny Christopher Walken shtick didn't work every time but we will not blame him for movies like nine lives Kangaroo Jack or even G Lee that's right Christopher Walken was in geely but as of late Christopher Walken has actually given a delicate and relatable performance on Apple TV's Severance certainly giving him more to do than his last TV outing The Outlaws most people only think about indeed when new handbook totes come in well I love those too but what's not to respect about Christopher Walken big or small screen emotionally devoted performance or cheap cash in he is one of the most authentic faces voices and personality cities in the entertainment industry so what if he'll never give us another deer hunter or even a Catch Me If You Can caliber turn do we really need one he's done enough he's done plenty and so what if he's become an over-the-top caricature of himself at least he scored a new following and you know what the old one never really left either we've always been fans of Christopher Walken whether he's been wacky goofy or terrifying and you know what Sometimes the best thing you can be is a parody of yourself so nobody should give a f about what the happened to Christopher Walken because he's doing just fine there's nothing to worry about I'm taking care of myself it's about time [Music] foreign [Music] thank you

Channel: JoBlo Originals

Views: 254,964

Keywords: joblo videos, joblo, wtf happened to, wtf happened to this celebrity, wtf happened to this movie, wtf, joblo originals, christopher walken, christopher walken facts, christpher walken, christopher walken real name, christopher walken impression, christopher walken roles, catch me if you can, christopher walken dancing, christopher walken snl, the continental, the continental christopher walken, the dead zone, communion, king of new york, the deer hunter, a view to a kill

Id: 6NxlyUZi69k

Length: 33min 30sec (2010 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 24 2023