Growing up in New York is like living in a horror museum because there are so many strange people walking the streets and riding the subways. You learn to develop a tough front if you live here, just in case you get into any kind of trouble and you need to talk your way out of it.

Christopher Walken

Categorized in : Museums New York Growing Up

I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Christopher Walken

skit fever snl

I have this theory about words. There's 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.

Christopher Walken

annoyed love-you mean

I'm better off not socializing. I make a better impression if I'm not around.

Christopher Walken

better-off impression inspirational

We have no way of knowing what lays ahead for us in the future. All we can do is use the information at hand to make the best decision possible.

Christopher Walken

knowing decision hands

I play so many villains and strange, troubled people. I don't have that kind of life. I live in the country. I've been married nearly 50 years. I have a cat.

Christopher Walken

cat country years

At its best, life is completely unpredictable.

Christopher Walken

unpredictable life-is inspirational

I try not to worry about things I can't do anything about.

Christopher Walken

i-can worry trying

I like cats a lot. I've always liked cats. They're great company. When they eat, they always leave a little bit at the bottom of the bowl. A dog will polish the bowl, but a cat always leaves a little bit. It's like an offering.

Christopher Walken

cat offering dog

There's something dangerous about what's funny. Jarring and disconcerting. There is a connection between funny and scary.

Christopher Walken

connections scary funny

You know, there's nothing you can do about your public image. It is what it is. I just try to do things honestly. I guess honesty is what you would call subjective: if you feel good about what you're doing, yourself, if you figure you're doing the right thing.

Christopher Walken

honesty feel-good trying

In the end, there's still the Word, everywhere... In Heaven and it's Angels, the Earth and Stars, even in the darkest part of the Human Soul It was there where it burned brightest. And for a moment, I was blinded.

Christopher Walken

angel stars heaven

Acting has to do with saying it as if you meant it, so for me the words are always very important. It's very important for me to know my lines, know them so well that I don't have to think about them.

Christopher Walken

acting important thinking

It's true that I don't think I'd be a good director. If I were a director, I'd try to hire the best people I could and then leave them alone. I don't know much about cameras or lighting, so I'd make sure that I had a really good cameraman who understood lenses and lighting, and I say to him, "This is the scene we have to shoot and this is what I think it should be, you go do it." Same with actors. But really, very good directors who know everything do basically the same thing. They hire you and then they leave you alone.

Christopher Walken

trying people thinking

No, improvising is wonderful. But, the thing is that you cannot improvise unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Christopher Walken

improvising knows wonderful

I used to love Danish. My father used to make a Boston cream pie. You never see that anymore.

Christopher Walken

boston pie father

I'd love to do a character with a wife, a nice little house, a couple of kids, a dog, maybe a bit of singing, and no guns and no killing, but nobody offers me those kind of parts.

Christopher Walken

nice couple dog

As an actor you become that lighting rod between the person who made the play and the audience.

Christopher Walken

actors made play

I became very critical of zoos and circuses and keeping animals in captivity. I wish it was against the law.

Christopher Walken

law animal zoos

There are people who are able to plan their career, their future, but I've never had any talent for that. I just do things and hope for the best. Say yes, take a chance, and sometimes it's terrific and sometimes it's not.

Christopher Walken

able careers people

And I think that when I play these villains, maybe what is different is that the audience sees me play these and they know that that's Chris and he's having fun and he knows that and he knows that and you know that and everybody knows that.

Christopher Walken

play fun thinking