The one actor Nicole Kidman called the real deal: “They come from a place of truth”
Nicole Kidman has collaborated with an overwhelming number of Hollywood’s finest actors, including the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Meryl Streep, Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, and Tom Cruise. Despite her insistence that she feels intimidated by many of her projects, she continues to be one of the boldest risk-takers in the film industry, perhaps best illustrated through her upcoming film Babygirl, about a middle-aged woman who finds herself having an affair with a young intern at her office. But in all her years of working alongside the best and brightest stars, she names the one actor who outdoes them all.
There are few leading men with a presence as commanding as Christopher Walken, with a measured, raspy voice that immediately grabs your attention in his arresting performances. Always a scene stealer, Walken has made appearances as both supporting and leading characters in film like The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction, Dune and Catch Me If You Can, elevating any moment with his profound sense of gravitas.
Kidman and Walken have worked with each other on two films, both lesser-known gems within their filmography. The pair first starred alongside each other in the 2004 film The Stepford Wives, a modern adaptation of the sinister story that shows a neighbourhood of women who are all controlled by their husbands in order to be the ‘perfect wife’.
It was marketed as a satirical feminist horror based on the original novel by Ira Levin. However, the film was not met with overwhelming positivity, existing as more of a palatable comedy than a true satire, but, alas, this was not the end of Kidman and Walken’s time on screen together.
When Kidman was announced as one of the leading cast members in Jason Bateman’s 2015 film The Family Stone, she immediately latched onto the idea of Walken acting in the project, with Bateman saying he was his dream casting choice. When asked about Walken, Kidman said, “Christopher Walken is the real deal. He doesn’t fake it. He approaches every role with complete integrity and respect for the character. His performances are masterful because they come from a place of truth, a place of humanity. He is one of the greatest actors of his time”.
The sensitivity and respect for the material that Kidman describes was perfect for a film like The Family Fang, which shows a brother and sister who return to their family home in search of their parents, who have mysteriously disappeared. Kathryn Hahn and Maryann Plunkett also star in the project, with Walken playing the oppressive patriarch at the head of the family, as well as a complex artist who both inspires and invokes fear. The story explores the strenuous and complicated bonds we have with our families and the way each relationship shifts over time, with Walken capturing the father’s complex way of expressing love and care for his children.
Walken and Kidman have not since worked together, but given their infectious love for filmmaking and limitless drive to challenge themselves, perhaps we’ll see the pair together on screen again.
