Christopher Walken appears in that bizarre Irish tropes movie, Wild Mountain Thyme. He plays Jamie Dornan’s father in it. I’m always surprised how normal Walken comes across on film because he’s such an odd bird in real life. It’s like his entire personality is a ten second delay. He was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for the first time the other night to promote the film. Walken appeared via Zoom, which was also a first for him. Apparently, Walken sat out the technology revolution and has never owned a computer, cell phone or iDevice. As for joining the rest of us now, he said it just too late for him.
Christopher Walken is living life free from technology.
While appearing virtually on an episode of The Late Show Tuesday, the 77-year-old actor spoke candidly to host Stephen Colbert about his avoidance of modern-day technology.
Asked by the late-night host if it was true that he has “never owned a computer or a cell phone,” the Oscar winner — who joined Colbert, 56, via Zoom — confirmed, “Yes, somebody had to come and set this up because I don’t have a cellphone or a computer.”
The actor then revealed that he is not “morally, philosophically [or] emotionally opposed” to owning technology, and noted, “I just got to it too late.”
“I think I’m right at a certain age where it just passed me by,” he added. “And I never got involved in it because it would be strange to have any 10-year-old be much better at it than I am.”
“Sometimes on a movie they’ll give me a cell phone, but it’s more so that they can find me … like a tracking collar,” he explained. “If I want to use it, someone has to dial it for me, that kind of thing.”
It’s refreshing that this isn’t some moral soapbox for Walken. I get tired of people arguing as if my choices have to be wrong so they can continue what they were doing. He also said, a little later in the interview, that computers and “cell phones is a bit like a watch, if you need one, somebody else has got it.” This is true. My dad has little use for a computer, but my mom got one a while back and if he ever does need it, she can look it up whatever it is. And really, the only thing she uses her computer for is to shop, so he’s kind of sorry she has it anyway. But my parents don’t avoid all tech. They love all things movie/music and have a more sophisticated TV set up than I do. They have to keep calling me to tell them how to use it, but they love it when they figure it out. Tech is like anything else, it just matters where your interests lie.
I’m sure he didn’t have a choice, but I’m glad that Walken allowed someone to set up Zoom interviews so he could promote the film. I’m always glad to watch his interviews. If you live in LA and know anyone in the business, they all have at least one Christopher Walken story. It’s usually favorable and almost always funny. (It could be that people just like to tell their Walken stories so they can do their Walken impressions.) Colbert brought up that Walken and his wife have been married 51 years and asked their secret. I like Walken’s answer, which was mostly luck and it helps if the two involved are easy to get along with. It’s really simple, but sometimes the best answers are.
Photo credit: Avalon
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