Q: Christopher, would you talk a little bit about entering the musical theater world all over again? And what it's been like for you so far, working on this?
A: This rehearsal has been just like rehearsing a Broadway musical, except that finally it's for cameras. I can't see any of you, I just want you to know. [laughter] It's like "Close Encounters". I see all these little shadows.
Q: We can't see you either!
A: Take me to your leader. [laughter]
Q: Did you watch "The Sound of Music" last year?
A: I never saw that.
Q: Is there any temptation to play Captain Hook too big? Can you play Captain Hook too big?
A: As an actor you know the difference between standing on a stage and being in front of the camera. You know, it's more than just talking louder. But this is unique for me, I've never done this and I'm finding out things every day.
Q: What kind of things are you learning?
A: Making those adjustments. When you do a Broadway show, you're projecting usually to a big theater. Also you have previews, and then it opens and you run for a while. The audience experience is part of the rehearsal. I always find that the audience teaches you things, shows you where the jokes are. The audience tells you if it's funny or not. It's interesting, you can absolutely feel an audience and you know it when it's going good. So it's a little bit different, there's a big audience but you can't see it.
Q: How comfortable was the Hook costume? Did they customize it, how did it feel?
A: So far I've just been using kind of a rehearsal hook and the hook-- I hope it's simple.
Q: The shots of you in costume are incredible, what was it like, having that physical transformation for you as an actor?
A: That was done for this and I don't think that's actually the costume I'm wearing. Something like it. I've asked them to make my stuff as light as possible because there's a lot of physical stuff.
Q: Were you, growing up, influenced by seeing PETER PAN, did you see PETER PAN?
A: Sure, I saw PETER PAN from the time I was a kid. It's different on the stage. PETER PAN is probably being done 20 times right now around the world. I went to a charity thing a few weeks ago. It was for kids and they were putting on a show and it was just a coincidence but they were putting on PETER PAN.
Q: When did you first think about being a storyteller? Was PETER PAN an influence in that or when was the first time you wanted to be a storyteller? And change the world, change my life, change everybody's because you're such an influence.
A: Aw, thanks! [laughter]
Q: You are!
A: No, no, I just wanted to be in show business.
Q: Why did you want to do this and did it take any convincing?
A: I never thought about it-if you're an actor, your phone rings and it's your agent. So that's what happened and I thought oh, that's a good idea. With these people and that material-PETER PAN is a wonderful musical. You know, when you think about just the music, it's got great music, great songs. And Hook, he has great stuff but it's not really singing, there's a lot of talking and singing which is good for me. You know, Allison [Williams] and Taylor [Louderman], great singing, there're some great songs. Allison, she can really sing, I don't know if anybody knows that. She's really-it's not like-no kidding around.
Q: It's a high energy show, it's three hours. It's a long three hours. What kinds of things are you doing to keep your energy up and find that stamina?
A: Well, you know, doing it this way, getting ready and then having one moment-it's really more like sports than theater, it's like a football game or something. You get ready and then you go play. So, pacing yourself.
Q: Can you talk about what it feels like to be back again, rehearsing a big Broadway show and what that experience is like.
A: It helps that I was born in musicals. I was a chorus boy until I was nearly 30. And I toured in "West Side Story", did a lot of musicals and then I started being an actor. So this is sort of like a hybrid.
Q: Throughout your career you've played so many different roles and a lot of the many memorable ones are villains. Do you have a particular affinity for them and is there anything special you do when you're like yes, I'm going to be a villain.
A: No. I got to playing villains-I don't know how. I think it's like anything else, in the movies in particular that if you establish yourself as something and you're lucky enough to keep getting hired. You know, there are guys who play the guy who gets the girl, guys who are the best friend of that guy, there's the funny guy, the villain.
Q: What's your favorite character attribute or even personality trait of your Hook?
A: I think Hook is sort of sweet. You know, Peter Pan chopped his hand off and fed it to a crocodile and now he's got a crocodile following him. And he wants vengeance. His pirates keep saying to him you've got all this money, you've done everything, why don't you just take it easy? And he says I can't, I have to settle a score. So there's something a little bit sad about him. You know, it's almost a little bit like poor old Hook. I think.
Q: How are they doing the crocodile?
A: Well, I haven't seen it but I've seen sketches. It looks good. I said to them, is the crocodile able to stand up? To me that's essential.
Q: What did they say?
A: They said yes. There's something about the crocodile walking around like Frankenstein that's really funny.
Q: And ticking.
A: And ticking.
Q: During rehearsals, did you have a moment, a perfect moment that stuck to you so far?
A: When things start to come together, it's not a big Eureka moment, it's just like a-oh, that works. Keep that. Rehearsals are a lot of keep that, throw that away
Q: How has this process and preparation been different from movie musicals like, say, "Jersey Boys" or "Hairspray"?
A: Nothing really, it's just that there's more time. This is eight weeks. When I did "Pennies From Heaven", I think I rehearsed for about a month with the choreographer, just me and him in a room. But this is different, you've got the whole cast in a room. Making a movie sometimes you don't even meet the other people you work with. I was in five movies with Jeff Goldblum before I met him [laughter].
Q: How did you finally meet him?
A: I met him at a stoplight.
Q: What did you say?
A: I was at a light and there was a car next to me, and Jeff said, "Hey, Chris!" That's how I met him.
Q: Kelli O'Hara and Christian Borle were saying that it's such a weird process because it's a musical but you have to focus on camera close-ups as well.
A: Yeah, yeah, I haven't even started thinking about that yet but it's absolutely true. Everything we're doing is for the stage and it's going to be about cameras.
Walken won an Academy Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for his performance in Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter." He also received an Academy Award nomination and won BAFTA and SAG Awards for "Catch Me If You Can." Additionally, in 2010, he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in "A Behanding in Spokane."
The box office from a wide range of his film credits has grossed more than $1 billion domestically, including Woody Allen's "Annie Hall," "Pennies from Heaven," "The Dead Zone," "At Close Range," "Biloxi Blues" with Matthew Broderick, "King of New York," 2004's "Man On Fire," "Man of the Year," the 2005 comedy "Wedding Crashers," "Hairspray," "True Romance," "Pulp Fiction," "Batman Returns," "Seven Psychopaths" and "A Late Quartet."
Walken's theater accolades and honors include the Clarence Derwent Award for "The Lion in Winter;" the Obie Award for Chekhov's "The Seagull" performed at the New York Shakespeare Festival; the Theatre World Award for "The Rose Tattoo;" and a Tony nomination for his role in James Joyce's "The Dead."
Walken also performed in a Spike Jonze-directed 2010 music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." Additionally, he starred in "Jersey Boys" in 2014, which was directed by Clint Eastwood. He recently wrapped "When I Live My Life Over Again," co-starring Amber Heard and Oliver Platt, as well as "The Family Fang," alongside Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman.
Live on Thursday night, December 4th at 8/7c will be PETER PAN LIVE!. Preparing to sprinkle fairy dust across America, NBC presents a bold new LIVE television production of the classic Broadway musical that will gather friends, families and anyone who refuses to ever grow up. Following in the footsteps of the phenomenally successful The Sound of Music LIVE! - which drew over 44 million viewers - comes this musical masterpiece that tells the beloved story of Peter Pan, the mischievous little boy who ran away to Neverland. Get ready for show-stopping stars, stunning costumes, extravagant sets and delightful music that will have everyone in your home singing along.
