# Do Christopher Walken's performance contracts stipulate that he gets to dance a jig? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627 "2008-11-27T00:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![reve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@reve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reve)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/1 "2008-11-27T00:03:41Z")
I’ve seen this statement presented as fact online as well as heard it in passing conversation. It strikes me as too outlandish to be factual, but I’m wondering if it has any basis in reality; e.g. it was written in for one film appearance. I understand that someone trained as a dancer will display a greater tendency to do a little soft-shoein’ than a member of the general public and that Walken’s propensity to dance/spin in films probably stems from from that. But a better educated guess would be welcome. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/2 "2008-11-27T00:11:42Z")
IIRC, he didn’t dance in _Batman Returns_ or the _Prophecy_ movies, and he definitely didn’t do anything jig-like in _Wedding Crashers_. So I doubt it. ETA: It may have been written into _one_ of his contracts, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/3 "2008-11-27T01:34:22Z")
I think this will fare better in Cafe Society. I’ll move it there from General Questions. **Gfactor** Moderator ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/4 "2008-11-27T02:40:08Z")
Maybe every Director that that has worked with him has a little secret scene of the Chris “Cake” Walken that they are stashing away. Maybe Chris wants a reel for his special award or maybe even a Will (LWT) activated, posthumous, Documentary of a dancin’ fool… ---
**Author:** ![Sebastienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Sebastienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sebastienne)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/5 "2008-11-27T03:11:43Z")
I recall hearing that Walken is an accomplished dancer; Wikipedia merely states that he “initially trained as a dancer in musical theater before moving on to dramatic roles.” His dancing talent may simply be too good for directors to resist, or, if he’s like some dancers I’ve known, difficult for them to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/6 "2008-11-27T03:48:23Z")
submitted for your approval [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs) some serious dancing chops kick in about the 3min mark. I think dancing is such a divergence from his usual characters that it throws a little curveball at the audience, maybe it’s noticed more because of that. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/7 "2008-11-27T05:31:16Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > it throws a little **curveball** at the audience. Cowbell, surely? ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/8 "2008-11-27T16:29:16Z")
Well as it was the Straight Dope who originally pointed me in the direction of Walken’s astonishing turn in “Pennies From Heaven” seems only fair to now do this myself for those who might not be aware of just how damn good he is! [“Let’s Misbehave” from Pennies From Heaven on YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=36JEg_nSb6E) ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/9 "2008-11-27T17:01:45Z")
I don’t think he danced in “Man of the Year” either. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/10 "2008-11-27T19:21:33Z")
:eek: ((faint) 😃 VCNJ~ > [@Promethea](#): > > Well as it was the Straight Dope who originally pointed me in the direction of Walken’s astonishing turn in “Pennies From Heaven” seems only fair to now do this myself for those who might not be aware of just how damn good he is! > > [“Let’s Misbehave” from Pennies From Heaven on YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=36JEg_nSb6E) ---
**Author:** ![reve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@reve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reve)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/11 "2008-11-28T17:54:24Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > submitted for your approval > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs&feature=related) That may not have answered my question exactly, but it IS pretty much the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen – thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/12 "2008-11-28T17:58:24Z")
I’ve heard him say he _tries_ to do a little dance in every movie he’s in, but I’ve never read anything about it being in his contract. At this point, though, what casting or film director would keep him from doing whatever the hell he pleases? It’d be like hiring him then telling him to respect the screenplay’s punctuation. Very un-Walkenesque. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/13 "2008-11-28T19:16:59Z")
He’d have had a hard time dancing through most of **Suicide Kings**. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christopher-walkens-performance-contracts-stipulate-that-he-gets-to-dance-a-jig/474627/14 "2008-11-28T22:31:17Z")
Or **Sleepy Hollow** Although now that I think of it, a well crafted headless jig would have been gold. Maybe something with **Johnny Depp**? The mind boggles.