Watch a fabulous supercut of Christopher Walken dancing in 50 films
An icon of pop culture quite unlike any other, Christopher Walken is an influential actor as well as something of an idiosyncratic in and of himself, becoming an indelible part of modern cinema as a result. Starring in such films as Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter and the Palme d’Or winning Quentin Tarantino classic, Pulp Fiction, Walken brings his unique, laid-back personality to each and every role he commits to.
One of the main reasons Walken remains such an iconic figure is his easily recognisable tone of voice that seems to incorporate an American, Scandinavian and Australian accent. So, how did a man born in Queens, New York, in 1943 develop such a peculiar accent? The answer isn’t a straightforward one, nor is it entirely complicated, with the actor having developed the voice after a childhood surrounded by an eclectic mix of accents.
As he told CBS News in 2012, “Both my parents had heavy accents,” making reference to his family’s German and Scottish heritage. Continuing, he adds: “It’s a rhythm thing — people who speak English where they have to hesitate and think of the right word. And I think it rubbed off”.
Indeed, hearing “lots of Greek, Italian, Polish, German, Yiddish,” has informed the vocal performances of Walken, but this doesn’t speak for his otherwise eccentric personality.
Beloved across the landscape of cinema, the actor is known for his dance moves, frequently showing off what he can do in film after film. Thankfully for fans, there’s a supercut that crams all these sequences together into one joyous sequence, bringing all forms of Walken to one place and time. Bringing together everything from his 1981 movie Pennies from Heaven to the Adam Sandler movie Click from 2006, the video is an utter joy.
If you want our two cents for the best Walken dance scene, we’d veer away from the world of movies and pick out his fabulous performance in the Fatboy Slim music video for ‘Weapon of Choice’. Utterly sensational, the video for the (equally excellent) song sees Walken fly from wall to wall in a fantastical dance that sees him become an impossible gravity-defying performer, the pointless superhero we’d all love to see.
Walken is next due to appear in the much-anticipated science fiction sequel, Dune: Part Two, directed by Denis Villeneuve, where he will take on the role of Emperor Shaddam IV. Joining an impressive ensemble cast, the actor will collaborate with the likes of such names as Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Léa Seydoux and Stellan Skarsgård when the film is released in 2023.
Take a look at his dancing supercut below, where his moves are performed to the tune of ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’ by C+C Music Factory.
