“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.”
Funny
“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.”
MoviesAll Quotes by Christopher Walken
“I'll tell you, Quentin Tarantino really writes the most amazing dialogue.”
Amazing“Emotional power is maybe the most valuable thing that an actor can have.”
Power“There probably aren't a lot of actors my age who tap dance.”
Age“There's something dangerous about what's funny. Jarring and disconcerting. There is a connection between funny and scary.”
Funny“They have a kind of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby thing going on.”
Hope“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.”
Funny“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.”
Business“I have been in movies that I thought I wasn't very good in.”
Movies“I always like to watch comics and it's interesting that you can tell if someone's funny in 10 seconds.”
Funny“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.”
Movies“Obviously an actor draws on his own experience.”
Experience“My favorite characters are the ones that are the most successful movies.”
Movies“When videotape came so a lot of movies that I do have a kind of afterlife in video. Things where movies that I do would come and go they still come and go but you can go rent them and see them on TV.”
Movies“I think that weddings have probably been crashed since the beginning of time. Cavemen crashed them. You go to meet girls. It makes sense.”
Wedding“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.”
Home“No, but way before that, I've been doing little dances in movies for years. Yeah, that was an amazing chance. You know, at my age to be able to do a music dance video, very unusual.”
Age“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.”
Dad“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.”
Business“I've made movies that I thought were good. 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.”
Business