Christopher Walken is one of the most unique and captivating actors in the history of movies. With his superior roles in classics like The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction, and Annie Hall, no doubt, he has established himself as a great performer.
Christopher Walken
There’s also an interesting fact about him. He is the second person in history to be nominated for both Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Worst Supporting Actor at the Razzies for The Country Bears (2002) in the same year.
The actor has a long career in the industry, at least more than six decades. But this didn’t come too easy for him. He has been acting since he was a child, and it takes a lot of courage that he gained from one of his family members.
Christopher Walken’s Childhood Influence Shaped His Confidence
When Christopher Walken was a child, there was someone in his family who would often say to him, “You got a lotta nerve.” At the time, he didn’t fully understand what it meant, but as he grew older, he thought of it as an instruction. The star said (via IMDb):
“When I was a kid, there was someone in my family, an adult, and whenever I saw them, they would say, “You got a lotta nerve.” From the time I was a little kid, it was always like, “Heh, heh, heh–you got a lotta nerve.” I always thought, “What does that mean?” But then when I got older, I thought that it was an instruction. If you tell a kid something, it sticks. I think I do have a lot of nerve. But, I mean, I think I maybe got it from that person who said it to me.”
Once, the actor also said that he has this “theory about words.” He went on to say (via IMDb):
“There are a thousand ways to say “Pass the salt.” It could mean, you know, “Can I have some salt?” or it could mean, “I love you.”. It could mean, “I’m very annoyed with you”. Really, the list could go on and on. Words are little bombs, and they have a lot of energy inside them.”
That’s the reason Walken believes those words (said by the person when he was a child) influenced him too much, and they instilled a sense of courage in him. He started thinking that he possessed a lot of nerve, and he perhaps gave credit to the person who used to say it to him. No doubt, words can leave a lasting impact on a person’s character.
Christopher Walken’s Long Hollywood Journey
It makes sense why the family member said Walken “had a lot of nerve.” It’s because the actor had been involved in acting from a very young age. As a kid, Walken appeared as an extra on various TV shows during the Golden Age of Television. He decided to become an actor after appearing in a sketch with Martin and Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour.
Influenced by their mother’s own aspirations of becoming a star, Walken and his brothers, Kenneth and Glenn, worked as child actors on television in the 1950s. The Percy actor attended Hofstra University on Long Island but did not complete his degree.
Despite this, Walken is a great actor, and no one quite acts like him – he mixes intellectual playfulness with precise physicality. That’s why he is, and will always remain, an icon of uniqueness.
Source: IMDb
