The day Christopher Walken destroyed a real Banksy: “It was not an act of vandalism”
With a career in show business beginning when he was just a child in the 1950s, Christopher Walken went on to dance in nightclubs and tame lions, before eventually settling down into acting stardom in the 1970s, with roles in the likes of The Anderson Tapes, Annie Hall and, eventually, The Deer Hunter, for which he won an Oscar.
Say what you like about Walken, but you can’t deny that the man has range, for roles in stupid comedies like Balls of Fury, Click, and Kangaroo Jack sit alongside works by more acclaimed filmmakers, like Abel Ferrara, who directed him in King of New York, and Denis Villeneuve, who cast him in Dune: Part Two. Clearly, nothing is off limits for the actor.
I mean, he even choreographed and danced his way across a hotel on wires for Fatboy Slim’s iconic ‘Weapon of Choice’ music video, as well as took on the role of Captain Hook in the rather odd made-for-TV broadcast, Peter Pan Live. The actor’s decisions shouldn’t ever come as a shock, because he is apparently down for anything, even the chance to destroy a Banksy artwork.
That’s not as bad as it sounds because, while the actor really did destroy an original Banksy piece for the show The Outlaws, he had permission. The British show, created by Stephen Merchant and Elgin James, featured a predominantly English cast of recognisable stars, but the Hollywood icon lent himself to the series as well, naturally playing an American conman.
In one scene, his character, Frank Spencer, is required to destroy a Banksy, so the show actually commissioned the anonymous artist to create a piece that Walken could paint over.
“The way they’ve written about it in the States, it sounds as though we desecrated a Banksy, but it was all part of the show,” Walken told Newsweek.
“He painted it for the purpose of it being painted over, that’s his MO. You know that painting he sold that was destroyed as soon as it was sold? That’s part of what he does, so it was not an act of vandalism,” he continued.
Banksy has never been all that precious about his artworks, even though he is one of the most well-known artists in the world, because, considering his graffiti medium, he has always viewed his practice as something rather ephemeral, subject to being painted over or destroyed altogether. That’s the risk that comes with painting in public spaces, but it’s one that Banksy has embraced since the start of his career.
Love him or hate him (the artist has long divided opinion with his rather on-the-nose political statements), Banksy is one of the most high-profile artists to have ever emerged from Britain, and the fact that his identity hasn’t been confirmed to the public has only added further intrigue to his image. Thus, for Walken to destroy a real Banksy sounds like a huge deal, but really, it’s in perfect keeping with the artist’s whole ethos.
