We all get old. It's a fact that I bemoan daily, as I enter my "coming of middle age" years. Very few of us manage to hang onto our former hotness as we coast into the realm of adult diapers and soft foods. There's nothing we can do about it, but pull out the old pictures and say "Ignore the huge, permed hair and check me out as a size six! Wasn't I hot twenty years ago?"
These kids today know nothing of Christopher Walken, except for the assorted oddball roles for which he is now famous. Sadly, they missed the generation of Smokin' Hot Walken as they were too busy not being born until 1988 or so. Isn't it sad?
I try and watch the Deer Hunter as often as my poor heart can take, which is once every two or three years. Walken is brilliant as Nicky, the doomed boy from a small town who comes to a tragic end in 'nam. He still has the weird, spacey eyes and the tall, lanky frame, but he plays it straight for this role and proves himself to be a most stellar actor. Add a young DeNiro to the mix and you've got a real recipe for unrelenting hotness. Walken is at his most beautiful, even while donning hunting gear and an enormous fur hat of unknown origin.
When I first watched "Pennies from Heaven", I was astounded that Mr. Walken could DANCE so well and oh, my! What a physique! Lean and rippling with sinewy muscle, Chris dances, sings and jumps up onto the bar, where he performs a stip tease at the finale. Clad only in a white tank and boxer shorts, Christopher is a sight for the sorest of eyes.
Even as the scumbag father to Sean Penn in "At Close Range" one can still feel touched by Chris in those verboten places. He is a charismatic demon, able to lure his sons into a life of violent crime without a shred of remorse. Afterward, you reflect on the film and are amazed by his skill and talent as an actor. Not once does he falter in his role and you love to hate him to the very end.
Of course, he is also one of the funniest men on the planet and the "more cowbell!" episode of Saturday Night Live is the stuff of comic legend. It's nice to know that Chris is still relevant after 40-some odd years in the business. Yes, his hotness was fleeting, but he's still one hell of a man.
Love this!
ReplyDelete"These kids today know nothing of Christopher Walken, except for the assorted oddball roles for which he is now famous."
ReplyDeleteI would not so quickly lump all of we "kids" in one category. No, there are not many of us, but I am definitely an early (and current[i like creepy-sexy]) Walken admirer. I remember the first time I saw him as a young actor, it blew my mind and I haven't been the same since...
I'm 21 and really have the hots of Christopher Walken- ever since I watched the Deer Hunter I've been hooked! Yes, the majority of 'kids' as you put it know not much about him. Some of my friends don't even know who he is, and their crushes are on people like 'R-Patz' and Ryan Reynolds (which in my opinion are dull and uninteresting). They think my thing about Walken is weird (which it probably is a bit!) but as you quite rightly pointed out, as well as being very attractive in his youth(and even now he still has that sexy twinkle in his eye)- he is also an amazing actor and a very funny man!
ReplyDeleteShame they don't make them like they used to.
well at 39, ive been salivating over chris for most of prepubescence thru teenage years and now knocking on midlifes door. He is a legend, plain and simple. There are young women with stellar taste,... i was one of them ;-)
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ReplyDeleteI' was 27 when The Deer Hunter was released and saw it asap in LA. I was mesmerized by all the performances, and like many, smitten with Chris Walken, not only his work, but that bumbling, shy, sweet, gentle side he portrayed in Nick. I was later amazed and delighted to see him dancing in Pennies From Heaven. At Close Range, like Deer Hunter, continues to haunt me, the performances and the stories. He and Penn were like two spoons in a drawer. I've seen both films many times, 'as often as my poor heart can take it.' ~_* Lovely man, actor, who's innumerable layers continue to fascinate me. Nice article, thanks.
ReplyDeleteWatch "The Anderson Tapes " with Wean Connery. Very early, yummy Chris.
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