Christopher Walken Interview, HairSpray

MoviesOnline recently sat down with Christopher Walken at the Los Angeles Press Day to talk about his new movie, "Hairspray,” directed by Adam Shankman.

The musical follows the adventures of Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, who has only one passion – dancing. Her dream is to appear on "The Corny Collins Show,” Baltimore’s hippest dance party on TV. Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem – she doesn’t fit in. Her plus-sized figure has always set her apart from the cool crowd, which she is reminded of by her loving but overly protective plus-sized mother, Edna (John Travolta). That doesn’t stop Tracy because if there is one thing that this girl knows, it’s that she was born to dance. As her father Wilbur (Christopher Walken) tells her, "Go for it! You’ve got to think big to be big.”

The addition of Walken to the film’s cast was a casting coup. The actor is primarily known for his award-winning performances in dramatic and often times villainous film roles. In reality, Walken is a kid from Queens who has been singing and dancing ever since he was a little boy. As a young man, he was a chorus boy in many musicals and touring stage companies, including a two-year stint in the classic "West Side Story.”

"I did a lot of musicals until I was about 30,” says Walken. "Then I got a job in a play strictly as an actor and from that job I got a job in a movie, and that’s how I ended up with a film career. It was all kind of by accident.”

It was no accident, however, when Walken’s name was first brought up by John Travolta, who explained that Wilbur is not only a role for a great actor, but also for a great actor who can really sing and dance. Fortunately, the filmmakers were all aware of Walken’s musical background, which includes his memorable roles in "Pennies from Heaven” and, more recently, his dance appearance in the Spike Jonze-directed music video, "Weapon of Choice.”

"John’s suggestion to get Chris was brilliant,” says producer Craig Zadan. "He was that triple-threat performer we needed to play Wilbur, and because he is such an incredible dancer, Adam Shankman was able to expand on the musical number ‘Timeless to Me.’ In the Broadway show it is just a song sung between Wilbur and Edna, but Adam created an extraordinarily special song-and-dance performed by two real song-and-dance men, and it is truly one of the highlights of the movie.”

"Chris Walken is like a human novelty shop,” says Shankman. "He is quirky, original and always full of surprises. He brought an enormous amount of off-center wonder to the character. He and John were so committed to their ‘relationship’ that you honestly believe they truly love each other as husband and wife. So in choreographing ‘Timeless to Me,’ I knew I had two of the greatest movie musical talents who could handle the steps and the fantasy concept and help me illustrate the greater scope of Wilbur and Edna’s love. It is a love that goes beyond their house and backyard into a world where great romance is found. It’s a crazy concept but their work together makes it one of the sweetest moments in the film.”

Christopher Walken is an amazing actor and a fabulous person and we really appreciated him time. Here’s what he had to tell us about his latest movie:

MoviesOnline: You were delightful.

Christopher Walken: Thanks.

MoviesOnline: You look like you had a ball.

Christopher Walken: Sure. (laughter).

MoviesOnline: Was it not true?

Christopher Walken: No. I was. A little singing and dancing.

MoviesOnline: How was it getting back to your roots of starting on stage so long ago and coming full circle?

Christopher Walken: That was great. It also, of course, made it easier. Singing and dancing that’s what I did really all my life—choruses and tours and shows. So to be able to do that in a movie, and they don’t make a lot of musical movies anyway, so to do that is pretty rare.

MoviesOnline: How was it dancing with John Travolta?

Christopher Walken: We rehearsed that for a long time. You know, for weeks. But then, when John had that big suit on, and heels, we knew it so well that when we came to shoot it, we did that very fast. I think it was very fast. But we knew, we’d done it so many times.

MoviesOnline: What was the process like during rehearsal?

Christopher Walken: When you learn dancing, it’s a different kind of rehearsal from rehearsing acting. It’s really repetition. And you learn the steps and then you do them until you don’t think about them. When you go home, I had a DVD of it and I’d play it in my house, and I’d do the moves. And then it’s just kind of in your bones, so it’s really more like repetition.

MoviesOnline: Was it easy for you to forget that you were dancing with a man? Was it just this character Edna, not John?

Christopher Walken: It was John. It was always John in the rehearsals. And then he put that outfit on, and for five minutes, I had to think about it. But after that, I just looked at him and it was still John. It was John with this thing on. So he and I treated each other, it was more like Chris talking to John than Wilbur and Edna.

MoviesOnline: Could you talk a little bit about the wide variety of roles that you play. Does it surprise you sometimes that they’ll offer you everything from being the bad guy to being in a musical? Just extremes.

Christopher Walken: Well that is an extreme, but in fact a lot of my career has been the bad guys, different kinds of bad guys. But you’re right—to have a thing like this. There probably aren’t a lot of actors my age who tap dance. When it comes to casting, and of course the opportunity like I say to do a musical now, it’s rare. So I think it’s an unusual additional thing. I did Pennies from Heaven, and I did another musical movie of the kids’ story Puss in Boots, which nobody ever saw, but it’s good. So I’ve done really my share of movie musicals considering the times I live in.

MoviesOnline: Your character is so wonderfully eccentric. He’s a really nice guy, but he’s a little odd. Was it hard to keep a straight face in that scene with Michelle where she’s trying to seduce you and you’re just not getting it? ’

Christopher Walken: No, you’re right. I think that was the joke – Michelle Pfeiffer is hitting on you and you don’t realize it. I think Wilbur is a very nice, very good man, but not the brightest bulb. He’s a little bit slow.

MoviesOnline: Was it nice to work with Michelle again?

Christopher Walken: Yes, very much, to see her again. Last time I threw her out the window. [laughter] It was great to see her. And what I didn’t know about her is she’s like a world class singer. That’s really her. And she can really sing. I didn’t know that.

MoviesOnline: Many people do imitations of you, and I wanted to know if you had a personal favorite.

Christopher Walken: There’s a lot of people who do that. I like it, I think it’s cool.

MoviesOnline: John [Travolta] does a great one.

Christopher Walken: Somebody told me that. I’ve never seen that.

MoviesOnline: He might not be brave enough to do it for you.

Christopher Walken: No, no, it’s not that. Maybe he’s done it and I didn’t realize it. [laughter] Yeah, a lot of people do that. I don’t really know why, but it’s okay with me.

MoviesOnline: I was wondering if you had a favorite, though.

Christopher Walken: A favorite? No I don’t. But my wife says Kevin Spacey is very good.

MoviesOnline: What other projects are you working on now or in the future?

Christopher Walken: I don’t know. Like a lot of actors, there’s things that may happen, they may not happen.

MoviesOnline: Have you done anything since Hairspray?

Christopher Walken: I read magazines. [laughter] I organize the refrigerator. Put things in smaller containers. [laughter]

MoviesOnline: Are you one of those actors that gets antsy between projects and wonders, ‘Oh my God, that might have been the last one.’

Christopher Walken: I used to, genuinely. But I don’t anymore. I think I’m getting a little bit of Alzheimer’s. [laughter] Just a little.

MoviesOnline: You had such a touching little scene with Nikki in the basement. How was it working with her?

Christopher Walken: Oh, it was great. You know, she’s pretty amazing. Come out of nowhere. And when she performs, she has that confidence. I’ve seen her do a number five times in a row, and every time it’s like, ‘Blang!’ Yeah, who knows where that comes from?

MoviesOnline: Has your personal motivation changed over the years from when you started? Obviously when you start you want to make it and you want to make money. But from a deeper level, is it always the same passion that has carried you forward from day one right until now?

Christopher Walken: To be honest, I was never very ambitious. And I still am not. It’s astonishing to me how well I’ve done. Yeah, I just always have gotten along. I became an actor by accident. Since I was in musical comedy from the time I was a teenager, I suppose I figured I’d always be in that world to some extent. There were dancers that I knew who became choreographers and so forth. But in fact, here we are and that’s in fact exactly what happened—I’m still in musicals.

MoviesOnline: Did you watch the original?

Christopher Walken: You mean John Waters’?

MoviesOnline: Yeah.

Christopher Walken: Sure, I’d seen that anyway. But I never saw the stage show.

MoviesOnline: Was there something about that particular version that you wanted to bring to this? Or anything about Wilbur?

Christopher Walken: The movie?

MoviesOnline: Yeah.

Christopher Walken: No, no. That’s that and this is this. I mean, the movie’s not a musical. And I think once it becomes a musical—in fact, when I got this job, they said to me, ‘You want to see the show?’ And I thought, ‘Yes, of course.’ And then I thought, ‘Mmm, maybe not.’ You know, just have a separate look.

MoviesOnline: Have you seen it since?

Christopher Walken: No, I haven’t.

MoviesOnline: Were you on set when John Waters was there?

Christopher Walken: No. He was probably there for half a day.

MoviesOnline: Or Ricky Lake?

Christopher Walken: No. I didn’t see Jerry Stiller. Those parts I’m sure they just came and, you know…

MoviesOnline: When you danced with John, did you have any input into the choreography since you are a good dancer? Or did you just do what they say?

Christopher Walken: No. We came and [director] Adam [Shankman] had these assistants and they showed us that dance to the music. Just two people doing it for us. And then we learned that.

MoviesOnline: So there wasn’t any little flair?

Christopher Walken: No, it was all choreographed.

MoviesOnline: Was it always the change of costumes? Was that always part of it?

Christopher Walken: It was.

MoviesOnline: Oh, it was. That was very cute.

Christopher Walken: You know, it was, Of course that’s a time lapse thing.

MoviesOnline: How was working with Adam?

Christopher Walken: Great. I didn’t know him at all, but I ended up liking him a lot. He’s a good guy, you know.

MoviesOnline: Was there something that surprised you about his directing or his choreography?

Christopher Walken: Well, he’s very good, you know. He knows a lot about all that stuff. He also makes a nice atmosphere on the set.

MoviesOnline: Of the previous projects you’ve worked on, are there any roles that you look back on as some of your personal favorites?

Christopher Walken: Sure. I saw a movie that I was in the other day that when I made it 10 years ago, I didn’t think much, and it didn’t do anything. It disappeared, you know. And I never saw it. And then I saw it the other day on The Movie Channel. And it was funny.

MoviesOnline: Was it in between doing the containers? Shrinking things down?

Christopher Walken: The what? [Laughter]

MoviesOnline: Cleaning the refrigerator.

Christopher Walken: Oh. No, no. This was a picture called Kiss Toledo Goodbye, and I played kind of a low level mob guy. Not very bright. It was funny.

MoviesOnline: Is there a role you haven’t played that you’d like to play?

Christopher Walken: Well you know this part that I have in a strange way is a part that I’ve wanted to play. A husband, a father, a good guy, a man with a business and all that stuff, has his own house, like a wholesome type thing. Ozzie and Harriet. And this part really is the closest to that I’ve ever played. You know, it’s a bizarre family, but it’s a pretty nice family.

MoviesOnline: You talked a little bit about Adam bringing a different style. What was that style?

Christopher Walken: No, I didn’t say he brought a different style. I said he made a nice atmosphere.

MoviesOnline: What kind of atmosphere?

Christopher Walken: Nice. (laughter) You know, where people are calm and they take their time and everybody is encouraged to do their best. When they knock on the door of your trailer and say, ‘Come to the set,’ you’re looking forward to it.

MoviesOnline: How do you pick the roles that you choose?

Christopher Walken: My agent sends me the script and I usually just look at my own lines. And then I think, ‘Could I say that?’ If I read it, mumble it to myself, even if I have no idea what the script is about, but if I mumble the lines to myself and it’s okay, I usually say ‘Yeah, I could do that.’

MoviesOnline: Would you like to host SNL again? I know you’ve done it quite a few times.

Christopher Walken: Six.

MoviesOnline: Six, okay.

Christopher Walken: I would. They haven’t asked me.

MoviesOnline: I’m sure they will soon. It’s been a while.

Christopher Walken: No. Sometimes when you’re an actor, you get put out to pasture.

MoviesOnline: Have they done the collection for you?

Christopher Walken: They did. They put you on an ice flow. Or it’s the old actors’ home in Jersey where you eat bologna sandwiches on white bread.

"Hairspray” opens in theaters on July 20^th.