The Surprising Things Christopher Walken Has Never Owned

Christopher Walken is known for being a bit of an eccentric after decades of taking on unusual, often disarming film roles, for dancing surprisingly well, as showcased in the 2001 video for the Fatboy Slim song "Weapon of Choice," and for talking in a distinctive, often ponderous cadence that per The Guardian he chalks up to growing up in Queens among many people who didn't speak English as a first language, including his German father. However, if you had cause to contact Walken, don't expect to hear that famous voice over a cellphone. 

In a December 2020 interview with Stephen Colbert that took place over Zoom, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Walken revealed that someone had to come to his home to set up the video conferencing software because he doesn't own his own computer or cellphone. When Colbert asked if this was a moral or philosophical decision because he opposed using such technology, he explained that he had simply "got to it too late" and he'd "never got involved in it because it'd be strange to have any 10-year-old be much better at it than I am." Walken, 77, went on to explain that to him, cellphones were like watches in that "if you need one, somebody else has got it," which is probably a conclusion that only someone who has had handlers and a staff for quite some time could come to in this day and age.

A few minutes into the interview, Walken clarified that has been given a cellphone during the filming of some of his movies, but noted that this was so he could be more easily found, agreeing when Colbert suggested that these cellphones acted more like tracking devices than tools for communication. He admitted that he actually needs someone else to dial the phone for him if he does need to make a call via cellphone, which again, is probably a relatively common service provided for movie stars, even if they do know how to dial on their own. He has reportedly never texted and has never been on Twitter, which, honestly, sounds like a pretty relaxing lifestyle. 

In the 2016 article in The Guardian, Walken's lack of cellphone and computer came up during the interview. There, he shared that his wife had one (perhaps the consistent availability of her cellphone is what made him compare them to watches) but if anyone needed to contact him, it had to be via landline or, surprisingly, via fax, as he does own a fax machine. There's no word on whether anyone has ever taken the time to fax Christopher Walken and ask for "More cowbell!"