How Christopher Walken Approached Playing Emperor Shaddam in 'Dune: Part Two'
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- Опубликовано: 29 фев 2024
- This bit of advice from Christopher Walken on how he approached playing Emperor Shaddam in 'Dune: Part Two' is short but oh, so, sweet.
'Dune: Part Two' explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
'Dune: Part Two' is in theaters now.
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Развлечения
"How am I going to play a king? I'm from Queens" is unintentional poetry
Who says it’s unintentional? 😂
Thats like something Sinatra would sing about lmao
Yup, I remember his role as the King of New York
He very much obviously intended it? Why on earth do you think it was unintentional? Did you just want to add words to make yourself sound smart?
@@QuantumFeldspar unintentional "poetry"
There was no audition. Denis just wanted Christopher Walken to pronounce “Muad’Dib.”
This, PRA-fet, this...MWWWUOAH, DEEEB...
LMAO
Worth every penny.
@@fvckingtest😂😂
But what I really wanted to here was "Ya naww that spice, it must flawww"
"I remember the first time i had to play a king..." what a fuckin flex
Not really, because at the time, he was asking for advice on how to portray it.
He is an actor. He is an established actor. And he is an experienced actor.
What is there to flex?
@@czarcoma which is even more of a flex
@@shanmantv can't say. I don't know him enough to surmise his intent I guess
@@czarcoma the best teacher understands theyre a student first
The emperor in dune is a crafty but tired man, not regal and noble, not anymore if he ever was. he played him perfectly. He is not a god emperor, he’s just an emperor
Excellent description. When you see at first he looks like everything that is happening is going above his head, that he's just a tired old man... but eventually it's revealed he still very much had a sharp mind.
The God Emperor will come soon!
Love this comment. Both Foundation and Dune are about entropic empires, descents into chaos, the way that order falls apart-- and the violence required to keep hierarchies in place.
That’s a good take, well said
@@andreleclerc7231 heh before the film we were like huh the emperor hasn't been show, his grand entrance must be coming soon!!! Then you're like huh... is that old guy the actual emperor?
I wasnt too sure about him as Emperor throughout the film but the Throne room scene "More, give me more!" Was amazing.
More!......cowbell, baby
More. More power
@@missingaustralia Bro, what is the cowbell thing. Im totally missing something somewhere.
@@Sk4M_.RangeroftheNorth SNL skit with Christopher Walken. If you legit haven't seen it, you need to. Absolute classic
@@missingaustralia gonna check it out now Bro, thanks.👊🏾
This is the guy who danced to "Walk without rhythm and it won't attract the worm". It was inevitable.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who made that connection. :)
that was all i could think about the whole time he was on screen lmfao
Like Jim Carrey singing "I'm the Eggman" decades before becoming Eggman.
as it was written
" I got a fever .. and the only prescription, is more SPICE !! " - Christopher Walken
"The SAND.... is gonna SINK!"
or cowbell!
…is mawww spiczzz! 😂
thanks for reminding me about that skit, lmao
That one moment before he kneels … the shine in his eyes from the sun. I’ve never felt the internal downfall of a powerful character like I did with Walken realising he lost.
That Emperorship was his birthright, he wouldn't let any Fremen put their spicy hands on it
Bring in….that……floating…fat ma’an…………..the Baron………….POW.
Paul Atreides: “You know Shaddam,…….House Corrino was spawned by Sicilians…….”
😂
I’m dying 😂
I see what you did there lol!
I really love how he specified the Baron with that line. The dialogue of the original was really well thought out.
LOL
Sometimes we forget, Christopher Walken is a very, very good actor. We take it for granted because he has done a lot of comedy in the past 20 years, but this man cut his teeth on Academy nominated roles.
I was under the impression that proper comedy work is even harder than regular drama acting.
He won an Oscar in like… 1976? And from there he’s been like “I can’t go any higher than this. Ima do whadda want and have fun!”
Honestly he was by far the worst part of Dune Pt. 2. He didn't have any gravitas or presence, at all. He just felt like an old Christopher Walken needing a prescription for mua deeb.
He was phenomenal in The Deer Hunter
He's also African.
One thing I liked the more I thought about it was that in the first movie, there's so much mystery and majesty to the emperor; he commands fierce and fanatically loyal Sardaukar, he manipulates politics from the shadows, yet, when you pull back the curtain in the second movie, what he really is is an older man, frail and weak, not even close to the image he wants to portray.
Wizard of Oz?
"The emperor is a jealous man, a dangerous jealous man." Walkens performance embodied this line brilliantly.
“I was like Deni, more cowbell.”
-Walken
I got a fever, and the only prescription...is MORE SPICE.
"I remember the first time I played a king" is the hardest opening line.
“Two little mice fell into a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned, but the second mouse, he struggled so hard that he eventually churned that cream into butter and he walked out."
That’s what Paul did alright
Because the other mouse couldn’t stop staring at those damn pinstripes.
I just saw that movie the other day.
Damn, that's Paul (the first mouse) and his son Leto (the second mouse). Paul gave up on completing the Golden Path, while Leto fulfilled it
@@Gamma_249
I'd say that Paul did his job in setting up part of the building blocks that his son would then use. He did as much as he was able (or willing) to do.
Dune is a long and complex narrative, taking part over thousands of years. You have to give the plot, and the ramifications of the characters' actions and choices, time to cook, so to speak.
In his own words:
"More, give me more!!"
I was really intrigued by his character and I wanted to see more of him. Irulan's conversations with him were so scarce but so good.
I wish they had less of him. He was the only character that was out of place
definitely seemed more senile and distant, I just kind of gave it an in universe explanation by saying that the assassination of Leto and house Atreides left him a shell of his former self.
I thought he seemed a bit senile with flashes of a brilliant but heartless man.
@@paladinhunt1611 totally. Beyond his prime no doubt
@@jonnysabueso2688 Hard agree. Sorry you're getting so much hate for expressing the opinion that the vast majority of people in my theatre had.
I felt his performance was spectacular. He's intense in some of these big scenes near the end "Your father was a weak man," "More, more, more!" The portrayal also shows The Emperor as intended. The first scene with him and his daugther states "And The Emperor said... Nothing." He's not a mighty leader. No matter what happens, The Emperor is on his way out. A man clinging to power, a man without the killer instinct, and when he's cornered with the spice issue he becomes dangerous and desperate, like a wounded animal. The fact that he heads to Arrakis personally shows exactly that. It's not that The Empire is going to fall, it's that he is going to fall.
Even in the small scenes where he has few lines, he communicates quite a bit with his eyes. I dunno guys. I loved Chris in this.
I'm surprised at the comments here. Just my two cents! 🍻
The hatchet job they did on Leto's character is horrendous.
Thank you! I was glad to see a different representation of leadership that didn't riff on "evil emperor" tropes
So, the emperor in the film was not like the one in the book then?
Totally agreed. Before watching the film, I was so cynical about his casting. I didn’t think that Walken had the right qualities to bring to life the emperor we’d heard about; ruthless, intimidating, calculating. FYI not seen the books so no idea if this was the incarnation we were due.
Either way, I was blown away. Walken was perfect for the delivery of this flawed, past-his-prime, deeply short-sighted and self-centred man. And it just knocked my expectations completely in the best way!
@@KADGE93your original opinion was correct. He was miscast and it was a detriment to the film.
Only interview he did for the movie apparently
How insightful lol
He’s an old guy now, it’s good he’s taking it easy
But, you know, he's the Emperor
He’s busy filming severance
Less is more
he played the emperor as if he just woke up still wearing his night shirt.
He knew that if he walked without rhythm he wouldn't attract the worm
"You'll be a king by the way people treat you"
Genuinely profound words. Never had any doubt he'd be promoted to Emperor.
Jeffrey Wright had a cool take on Walken on Maron's WTF podcast - apparently Wright did Shakespeare with Walken and Walken just did all the speeches in his own voice and cadence instead of trying to put on an accent and came to own the text in his own voice. Wright was thoroughly impressed by Walken and his genius as an actor.
I know a lot of people don't love the casting but this video shows why he was perfectly cast, he didn't play it big or over the top like I was expecting he was just an empty suit who held nothing but the name, fantastic limited performance in a brilliant movie
Which is interesting because it's the spacing guild and to a lower extent CHOAM who really controls the empire
I kinda wanted a more grandiose approach though, uno? lol not the end of the world though I can still appreciate his performance
I thought he was PERFECT.
@@luckyplvys that’s what I was expecting but it’s a weak character, would be out of place to have a showy performance for a character that doesn’t deserve it
@@jdw0506 usually weak people mask the insecurity with pompous things/ego, it’s a shield.
his approach was simple, clean which made it great
old and tired
Miscast
@@jonnysabueso2688not even close
@@mounorman I agree ..not even close to the right choice
@@jonnysabueso2688you’re literally everywhere in these comments just bitching and bitching 😂 pathetic asf that a movie irked you that much that you basically live in these comments now
I believe even in the book, the emperor isn’t a powerful character.
yes, because there are other powerful fractions such as choam, bene gesserit, space guilt etc. emperor is not the single major power.
In the book he’s Roger Goodell.
Oh absolutely not. The Emperor is powerless in the book. He doesn't have control over the houses, he doesn't have control over his own reproduction, he doesn't have control over the children he *does* have. The man is completely impotent and that's what I find so interesting about the emperor. He's so insecure and afraid of losing his throne he doesn't realize he'd already lost it years before the fiasco on Arrakis.
The situation is worse in the 80's dune. He kept getting lambasted by everybody
Hes like reverse Palpatine
From King Louie to Emperor Shaddam.
Guess he really learned the secrets of man's red fire.
Good God was this movie spectacular. Every shot and scene was a work of art.
Agreed. Except the scenes with walken
I was disappointed, but maybe I should have watched the first part again, before I watched this.
@@FordHoard maybe for some backstory, but it was a lot slower and drawn out.
Wow. That is some great goddamn acting wisdom right there. Holy shit. This method comes through in the movie so well. It's such a unique performance.
any man that must say, "I am king - is no true king!" - Tywin Lannister.
(I think that's how the quote goes.)
Christopher Walken ironically made the most Emperor/King move he could have done.
YES! Such great advice.
Perfectly cast. He was amazing in the short amount of time he was on screen.
He was great, all the combined 3 minutes of screen presence. Kinda disappointing there wasn't more Emperor time in the movie.
I actually really liked his portrayal of the emperor. The emperor had been built up as this all powerful, omnipotent ruler - but when you see him for the first time, and later on in throne room scenes, it turns out he is just an insecure man, trying to cling on to the power that other people have given him. Just a guy. And that is the feeling I think many people have - he was just Christopher Walken.. Exactly!
I loved it.
This man is a cinema icon, it makes me immensely sad knowing that some of the greatest actors and people that I grew up watching are reaching their end of life. He was so good in the movie too, deserved more screen time!
It is BEYOND easy to forget just how great an actor Walken is - all the more, when he goes hardcore and edgy with it. Very refreshing to have seen. 💯!✌🏼
the muad'dib...he's dangerous...its..crazy
We saw Dune yesterday and liked it very much. Dune seems to be a work with lots of big parts parsed out economically, just like the book. The direction honestly captured the prose pace of the book and deserves note on that point alone. In particular, the part of the emperor communicated the thin control of his consensus like authority, forecasting the result. Was glad to see the sands of Dune receive due time, given their power to diminish life on this the most important world. Since Dune is not just science fiction, but more in the realm of science fiction literature, it is fair to say the movie and the book walk together. Great job!
Maybe spinoff stories about this universe of characters can be made, like Chani, Jessica, Stilgar, or Gurney.
I loved that Christopher was in this great film
I involuntarily giggled the first few times I saw him on the screen 🤣 It takes you by surprise! Especially when he first speaks, you hear that iconic accent from the very first word.
He was impressed by his dancing in Weapon of Choice and because of the implication
Happy Birthday, Chris! :)
A novel I first read in college featured a character like that. Carmen LaForet's "Nada" ("Nothing") is narrated by a young college student who goes to live with her crazy aunts, uncles, and grandmother, in a once opulent but now run-down house in Barcelona in post-civil war Spain. One of the uncles exudes a magnetism that pervades the entire novel, even though the narrator doesn't think much of him, and even though he only appears in a few pages. How does LaForet pull this off? All the other characters are obsessed with him. They adore him, or envy him, or fear him, or seek him out. So even though he rarely appears in the novel, he is often discussed, as other characters try to persuade the narrator to feel one way or the other about him. His passing at the novel's end is accompanied by a torrential thunderstorm, as if his death has cosmic ramifications.
Just saw the movie and walken really did amazing in the film 🎉
LEGEND 🔥 incredible actor❤
"How am I going to play a king?" With MORE COWBELL!
This video is only slightly shorter than his screen time in Dune 2.
were his Sardaukar even mentioned in this hyped up bs adaptation?
@@dsfs17987You call it bs even though you clearly haven’t seen it?
@@Freshwater121 I have seen it, but I don't recall any emphasis on them, the book mentioned them a lot, their origin, and that served to show how truly powerful Fremen were when they could handle them with no issues, yet all the rest of the galaxy feared Sardaukars
I honestly don't recall a line of dialog in 2nd part about them
@@dsfs17987 yes they were
@@dsfs17987So you don't think the Salusa Secundus scene with Piter in the first part was enough emphasis on their spartan way of life?
Walken is a gem.
I didnt know he was the emporer till i saw him on screen and was just stunned. Someone said in the comments here that we forget Christopher Walken is a absolutely amazing actor. He will go down as one of the legendary actors of all time
nice to see he is doing well.
I totally agree. I love that guy.
@@YesThatDan just wish he had more scenes, more scenes of kaitain. There was concept art / Establishing shots of the settlements on Kaitain in photos released by Weta workshop but Denis chose not to use them. I find it odd he didnt, you usually want establishing shot of a place like they did for caladan in dune part1 of the ecology/Enviroment.
Power lies in having enough people believing you have power
He read Dune; he gets it.
This is the best film i've ever watch since Shawshank Redemption.
Except Walken being cast in it
Seems like you have watched two movies in 3 decades.
This is the worst critique I've heard of this film.
@@xipalips which critique?
It's a shame Butler did a Skarsgard voice, but Pugh didn't do a Walken voice 🤣
She needed more cowbell!
Denis: ‘“There’s a war party amassing in orbit” - who can we get to say that line?’
Casting director: I may have something…
"I just showed up on set"
Thanks Chris! great job there, buddy
You know the film is serious when Christopher Walken isn't playing around.
lol, of all the lines he did as Emperor, there was one in particular where did it in stereotypical CW fashion and I got such a laugh out of it. It's the one where he says to "find them". Ahhh, he's such a legend.
It was the "More give me more!!" Line that C.W.d me.🤣
I absolutely love the Dune books, loved both of Denis’ movies as a whole. Love Christopher Walken. And I think his acting overall was fitting for the movie. But hearing him talk in his normal voice with not noticeable change to my ears anyway really took me out of suspension of disbelief every time he talked. Its not even cuz its just any actors voice. Its walken’s voice, one of the most distinctive voices Ive ever heard on screen
I know he's been in some EPIC movies and he's a legend but i'll always think of the movie Click when i see him 😊
There is no better way to tell someone is doubtful of their power other than watching them displaying their authority. True leader has to be restrained, yet silently aware of their ability.
Broke teenagers living in their moms house speculating about how a true king should act
@@grottphd9090 you are starting to sound like one of those hyperventilating SW fans. relax.
I feel like he made it work. He had a sense of gravity about him that was, indeed, reinforced by the people around him. But at the same time, with a sense of tiredness and frailty.
I felt the EXACT opposite. His presence was weak and tiny, and he made me laugh by being there.
I know he gets flak but I liked how Walken's emperor looks almost dead inside. By his own words emotion has no part in ruling. I like how much of a pragmatic husk it seems to makes him.
In Part 2 when he does show that he wants to rule, it’s out of his own anger of not getting a rise out of Paul. After he sees Feyd get merked the Emporer is back to the demeanor we the audience see from the first scene. It’s interesting how the Great Houses prevent Paul’s accession and I can’t wait for Dune Messiah Part I. Walken did a superb job as always!
Chris Walken - legend ❤
Going to imax tonight 😮
He approached it like I approach exercise from april to december.....
For me my favorite thing in this movie version specifically is that the Emperor is never seen wearing anything but what seem to be his pajamas. He is so powerful, so in control of his universe that he doesn't need to be grandiose or big. He can just relax
I think Christopher's face did an excellent job of displaying so much without saying a word, especially if you know all of the extra political dealings that are happening from the book
The moment where he gets told that Paul is alive and leading the Fremen and the sheer look of "Ah shit." was so perfect
Long Live Padisha Emperor Walken IV
Deer Hunter fan forever!! 😍😍👍👍
LEGEND
Hearing Chistopher Walken say "Sardukar" was about as perfect as I hoped it would be.
Yesterday, yesterday I watched Sir Christopher Walken on IMAX.
It was a blessing!
"I decided the Emperor would be exactly like how I am in every role."
What i thought was incredible about the performance was that he almost seemed normal compared to the Harkness and what that says about who held the true power. The emperor has felt relatively safe compared to the lower houses, and the fate of the Atreides house underpins why the Harkonnens and the other great houses could never feel safe. The Emperor and his administration fosters a culture of cruelty and barbarism in order to divide and conquer the great houses: no two houses would form a coalition against him if they distrust and hate one another. Leto and the Atreides house had to be annihilated because they were going against the overarching culture of the empire to form a community of trust, the Emperor's own guaranteed safety was threatened by the potential of the charismatic Leto to syphon loyalty from the Emperor. The houses are not meant to be strong, they are not meant to feel safe, or have love and trust, it makes them too difficult to control. The Harkonnens are cruel and brutal and no one would ever willingly go under their banner which is why the Emperor was fine with them as paradoxical as that may seem; that brutality is safe and love is to be feared but Dune does a fantastic job of showing you WHY that is. The emperor HAD to appear normal, it was the best way to show his power.
it hurts seeing him this old.
It makes sense!
Walken did a good job of being Walken without being distracting to the film
I wonder if anyone was shocked by the tone of his voice, being so iconic as Christopher Walken. Finding out what his weapon of choice was, was cool: the Emperor's blade.
From King of New York to Emperor of the Known Universe
You are seen in Awe by your fellow actors so the fell inline to your presents as a emperor.
“Me and Lou-Ann, Lou-Ann and me…we just pump away!”
That approach really worked in his favor for this particular role.
Not really at all. He was miscast bigly
@@jonnysabueso2688Agree. He didn't into the cast.
@@jonnysabueso2688all your comments is just you shitting on him... get off the internet maybe?
@@baller302 not shitting on him, just his casting. He's a legend in the game.....just didn't fit the dune 2 feel imo.
i understand a lot of people don’t like his casting but i like that he has a muted presence, gotta remember this is the guy that saw leto’s presence and nobleness as a threat, he’s powerful but not inspiring
"Paul, you're pretty cool, really, but I think you could use a bit more cowbell"
I think it is not his best work. Too understated. But great seeing him!
"more, give me more.. cowbell!"
extremely good advice given that in real life kings are only kings because people treat them that way
how did Christopher Walken approached playing emperor? He just Christopher Walked it.
I loved the film and love Christopher Walken but there should have been more of him being imperious and imperial, it was too understated in the scenes they had and they should have had at least one scene to depict the scale of his power
The point is he has no power, he is absolutely controlled by the bene gesserit. In the book this fact is contrasted by his pompous imperial appearance which would have been interesting to see, but in order to effectively convey the idea of how the emperor is controlled within the timeframe of the film he is presented as a powerless front for the bene gesserit. This representation compliments the notion rather than contrasting it which would be too confusing with only a few scenes.
It's been a while since I read the series last but I seem to recall in the first book it was question of 4 key powers all holding each other in check, namely the Emperor and his Sarduakar vs the Landsraad of Great Houses vs Bene Gesserit and vs The Spacing Guild, each tied together by their need for melange and their CHOAM holdings. It was balance between these powers, true the Bene Gesserit was constantly manipulating the Emperor and Great Houses to further their goal of creating and importantly also controlling the Kwisatz Haderach (they had little leeway with the Guild from what I recall) but to say they totally controlled the Emperor I think is wrong. This whole system is what Paul overturns with his jihad and which his son deliberately permanently destroys via his Golden Path. The power balance represented an ossification which would eventual end in species death for humanity@@Bonerstone
@@croydonrudeness The Bene Gesserit controlled the Emperor through his wife and daughter, both of whom were part of the Sisterhood. His wife was also ordered not to bear him any sons so that the Bene Gesserit could control whom would ultimately sit on the Golden Lion Throne (the Kwisatz Haderach). They were the shadow power behind the official three-way balance of Emperor, Landsraad, and Guild, although as you said, they had little sway over the Guild because of the Guild's monopoly on space travel.
He just seemed so modern today world
Well he played King Louie from the live action Jungle Book
He woke up and went to set.
I loved him as the emperor.
He was just an old dude with an army. Maybe that was the point?
Yes, it was
youth is wasted on inexperiencd, inarticulate nitwits. “ old dude”.? You arse that was not the point. This man is a quintessential actor… sometimes they get tired of stupidity and he gave a simple response to a silly question.
Emperor was a dangerous jealous man clinging onto what little power he had left since a prophet named Muad dib just showed up on Arrakis stirring up trouble and the harkonens weren’t able to stop it. They barely put him in the film but the same was for the books, he was on outside character
Imagine if people allowed themselves to be manipulated into similar political scenarios IRL. We'd be at eachothers' throats all the time over the stupidest causes.
Wouldn't be the only character these movies get wrong
I feel like the presentation of the emperor in this movie was too muted. He didn't seem all that grand in any scene...there were many scenes with the Baron Harkonen that seemed much grander and I think that's what was lacking most about the emperor.
Denis Villeneuve knows how to do scale well, but this is one of the times he should have leaned into that skill imo.
"He didn't seem all that grand in any scene"---Thats the point!
@@tmb1065 well then he's not really much of an emperor is he? not even a puppet one.
@@tmb1065 Christopher Walken himself says in the beginning of this clip that he was worried about portraying a king and that he was consoled that he would be a king by reflection and by the way others treat him.
The reflection of the emperor was not kingly and therefore everyone has been saying he did poorly in the role.
He's a talented GENIUS ...
I was todays years old when i found out he was also in the orginal dune series
Some people didn't like him as the emperor and I genuinely am confused by that take. I'd love to see more from him, but what we got was phenomenal. His reply to Paul especially.
“The key to acting is be yourself!”
How would you guys compare Christopher Walken's Emperor to José Ferrer Emperor from the 1984 movie?
"I know, I'll just play my usual self .... Yer Know"
I've been doing Christopher Walken impressions the whole month leading up to Dune
"The kwisatch . . . haderach . . .He's a real pain in my ass"
when you think of emperor you think of a really intimidating guy with like gold armor but this emperor is just an old man like he said hes emperor in the way everyone sees him