Quote:
| Devin vs Major Frank Burns: Walken's a creepy song and dance man, which would make him a viable option for the role. |
Mike Figgis: For the most part anyone who's coming for a gig has done some acting, technically has some ability. First time I did a casting session in America, Christopher Walken terrified me.
Mel Gibson: Me too.
Mike Figgis: They told me he was flying in from God-knows-where...
Mel Gibson: But he didn't need a plane, right?
Mike Figgis: I said 'Have you had a chance to read the script?' He looked at me and he said, 'Do you like my face' And I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'That's fucking great, because if you don't, get DeNiro. Fuck you, I'm outta here.' And he stood up and walked out. He was flying on a different level to me, but he was right. 'Do you like me?' That's it.
Mel Gibson: He came to see me on the rooftop of the Peninsula Hotel in New York. He was wearing black, and he floated in, sideways, through a crowd of people-it was like one of those old vampire movies where they don't walk but they glide. He was a dancer, you know, so he's very graceful. He sat down next to me and I just started talking about the Middle Ages. He's a very smart guy and he began to talk tortures-and we swapped stories, because I'd just read this book on the subject. I was trying to recall some of the heinous things I'd read, and he kept trying to top me. And he was getting scary. My assistant left, he couldn't stand it anymore-the air had turned cold. And I wanted to leave, because I knew that I didn't want to work with him. I turned around at one point, to avoid his steady gaze, and I was looking at a building with a huge illuminated '666' on top, in red. And he started smiling and I thought, 'Oh no, Chris Walken is the anti-Christ.' I bade him farewell, said 'I'll call you..'
How I wish I had been there...
