The roles Christopher Walken is glad he didn’t have to play: “I’d have been awful in them”
Christopher Walken is one of those versatile actors who, depending on someone’s generational background, will be recognised for many different roles. Perhaps it’s the Oscar-winning war drama The Deer Hunter, maybe it’s the 2007 musical Hairspray, or potentially you know him best from Fatboy Slim’s iconic music video for ‘Weapon of Choice’, suited and booted as he dances his way through a deserted hotel.
Walken has appeared in many great films over the years, and there’s no disputing his legacy in Hollywood as one of the most acclaimed stars to have graced our screens. Still, he has missed out on some pretty big roles during this time – something that is just part and parcel of being an actor. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Walken necessarily regrets the fact that he failed to secure several major roles, however, going as far as saying that he probably would have been “awful” in them.
During the ‘70s, Walken appeared in movies like The Anderson Tapes, The Happiness Cage, Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Annie Hall, and Roseland. It was The Deer Hunter that came as his big break in 1978, but he had auditioned for a movie that would be released the previous year that could’ve taken his career in a very different direction. Believe it or not, Walken tried his best at an audition to play Han Solo in Star Wars. The role inevitably went to Harrison Ford, with the actor becoming irrevocably tied to his character, still one of his most iconic parts.
Walken revealed to the Financial Times that he hardly made it to the final selection of actors, explaining, “I did audition but I don’t think I came remotely close to getting the job. About 500 other actors auditioned, so it wasn’t as if it was down to me and somebody else.” While Ford became a worldwide sensation off the back of Star Wars, Walken needn’t have worried, winning an Oscar for The Deer Hunter the following year.
In the same interview, he also shared another role that he missed out on – Oliver in Love Story. Released in 1970, the film could’ve kickstarted Walken’s career a little earlier, but instead it was Ryan O’Neal who got the job. The romantic drama also featured Ali McGraw and followed the pair as they marry against the protests of Oliver’s wealthy parents, only for McGraw’s Jenny to get diagnosed with a terminal illness. It remains one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be for Walken.
“I also auditioned for Ryan O’Neal’s part in Love Story, and in both those cases I was lucky because I’d have been awful in them,” Walken admitted. The fact that Walken didn’t mind missing out on these roles is refreshing to hear – just because a movie was a huge success, doesn’t mean the parts he auditioned for would’ve been right for him.
The opportunities the actor was eventually given allowed him to follow an impressive and enduring career trajectory, and he has gone on to appear in many popular films, from True Romance and Pulp Fiction to Catch Me If You Can and Dune: Part Two.
