For multiple generations, Star Wars has been the go-to sci-fi franchise. Now, with the success of Denis Villenueve’s Dune movies, it might have its own legs as the quintessential sci-fi experience. But there is a common link: Christopher Walken. OK, so Walken didn’t board the Millennium Falcon, but he did at least audition for the role of Han Solo, which he’s glad he didn’t get.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Christopher Walken remembered that he did in fact do a screen test for Star Wars alongside Jodie Foster (auditioning for Princess Leia), saying, “I’m not sure we did a scene. Maybe we just sat in front of, in those days, those old videotape cameras…We might have just sat there and did the name, rank, and serial number type of thing. I would say that, Yes, I did audition for Star Wars, but so did about 500 other actors. It was lots of people doing that.” Instead, that year he would play Diane Keaton’s brother in Annie Hall, petrifying Woody Allen with his visions of driving into oncoming traffic.
And so while Christopher Walken may not have spent any time on the desert planet of Tatooine, he does now officially have ties to Arrakis. As for what drew him out of a four-year hiatus from the screen, the actor (who turns 81 this month) said he was a fan of Villeueve and the cast…and the short time on set didn’t hurt, either. “I had, of course, seen the first Dune a number of times. I loved it, and I admired [Villeneuve’s] movies. Arrival, I thought, was wonderful…And to be with all those terrific actors —Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, and Stellan Skarsgård—and to go to Budapest, which is a beautiful city. And of course, that’s what I do for a living. It was only, I think, three weeks. So, everything about it was attractive.”
Christopher Walken has brought us some of the more fascinating sci-fi performances of the ‘80s, turning up compelling work in The Dead Zone and Brainstorm. There’s also the little-seen The Mind Snatchers, actually Walken’s first starring role and one well worth checking out. But no, he had no business playing Han Solo.
What is your favorite sci-fi or horror performance from Christopher Walken? Give us your pick below!