Quote Of The Day By Christopher Walken: 'You Can't Fool Bugs Bunny...'

Christopher Walken needs no introduction. He's one of the most recognizable actors of all time, having built a unique career for himself by playing oddballs and weirdos. With his idiosyncratic line delivery and unique facial features, Walken is one of those actors who elevates any film he's in, even if he shows up for only one scene. Heck, he even makes the terrible Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez movie "Gigli" somewhat watchable for a few minutes when he pops up playing a weird cop who takes Affleck's character aside and says, "Go down to Marie Callender's, get me a big bowl, pie, some ice cream on it, mmm-hmm good! Put some on your head! Your tongue would slap your brains out trying to get to it!" 

Whatever that means.

Born in 1943, Walken began his showbiz career at a young age, appearing as a child actor extra in various TV shows. He would act steadily for the rest of his life, and was also trained as a dancer (a skill he put to use in various films and other projects, including Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" music video). In 1978, he took home a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "The Deer Hunter."

While never a traditional leading man (although George Lucas did consider him for Han Solo in "Star Wars," believe it or not), Walken developed a style all his own. He frequently plays villains, although he can play kind characters just as well (for one of the best examples of this, look no further than his Oscar-nominated turn in Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can"). A fan-favorite and frequent "Saturday Night Live" host, Walken's most recent prominent roles have included "Dune: Part Two," where he played Emperor Shaddam IV, and the Apple TV series "Severance," where he plays Burt.

"[Bugs Bunny is] so smart, he's so funny, he's got such a great attitude. Bugs Bunny is the spirit of New York ... You can't fool Bugs Bunny. That's all I have to say. He's on to everybody."

The truly strange and wonderful quote from Christopher Walken above comes from a 2001 profile of Walken in The Washington Post, and it's not the first time Walken has brought up Mr. Bunny. On The Severance Podcast, "Severance" producer Ben Stiller revealed that (off microphone) Walken told him that Bugs Bunny was "one of his favorite actors ever," a statement he repeated to "Severance" co-star John Turturro in an interview with People.

Look, is there a deeper meaning to Walken's quote? Probably not. But I suppose you can read it in more than one way. In my eyes, there are two approaches here. One is that Walken is joking around, because he's a funny guy who knows how to get laughs by saying strange things (for a perfect example of Walken's sense of humor, watch his appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" where he tells a hilarious story about lying about his birthday on movie sets). And if I'm being honest, I have to admit I only chose this quote because I find it very funny. But of course, the other read on this is that Walken is being 100% serious and he really does consider Bugs Bunny to be his favorite actor.

And to be fair, he's got a point when he says "You can't fool Bugs Bunny. That's all I have to say. He's on to everybody." Bugs Bunny is the ultimate wiseass; a carrot-chomping cad who is always one step ahead of his foes, be they hunters or ducks. You just can't beat Bugs Bunny at his own game, so why even try? There's a reason Bugs has endured and survived for over 80 years. Now if only Walken would share his thoughts on Bugs Bunny's blockbuster movie "Space Jam."

• "My hair was famous before I was."

• "I think that a good movie creates its own world, and that world needn't refer to anything that's real. If it's consistent, if it's entertaining, if it's interesting, it justifies its being there."

• "I used to be prettier than I am, but I think I look better now. I was a pretty boy. Particularly in my early movies. I don't like looking at them so much. There's a sort of pretty thing about me."

• "Emotional power is maybe the most valuable thing that an actor can have."

• "Bear costumes are funny. Bears as well."