I don’t think so, necessarily, although I guess it could be.
I knew a guy who walked that way (though with knees bent, so he didn’t appear to be tippy-toeing, if that makes sense?) and what struck me about him the very first time I saw him was how incredibly graceful he was for such a large guy - he seemed to glide everywhere. (Turns out he was into ballroom dancing, which may have helped.)
Anyway, it was not only a little unusual, it was a large part of what attracted me to get to know him better. I still haven’t met anyone else so innately graceful; it’s a rather unique quirk of his, I guess.
I was watching Ocean’s Eleven with one of the commentary tracks turned on, and someone mentioned something like this. There’s a scene just after the heist where Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) is walking away from the security office and around a corner. The first shot was on location, and the second was on a soundstage. They were filmed weeks, or maybe months, apart, but the walk is exactly the same.
It’s easy to notice once it’s pointed out. Maybe that’s a small thing for an actor to worry about, but Garcia just nails it.
It does to some people, because I walk the same way, and I’ve been repeatedly mocked for it (middle and high school were not pleasant for me) I always stand on the balls of my feet and walk the same way, which causes what I call a bouncy stride.
One of the nuns in my dorm could recognize me by the way my footsteps sounded. Most people don’t notice one of my legs is over one inch shorter than the other, but she noticed how it affects my stride.
There was an article in the New Scientist last year about attempts being made to identify people from the way they walk to be used by police forces on disguised suspects.
Apparently people who have poorer then usual eyesight use this technique a lot in recognising people that they know.
Anyone else think of the tune Walleye by S.C.O.T.S.?
If I remember correctly, Rick introduces it as being about a gal with a weak muscle in one eye (hence the thoughtful title.) But she also had an inner-ear problem, that gave her an unusual rythm as she walked - providing the inspiration for the instrumental.
