Christopher Walken at Stage One in Stratford 02.17.13

Every now and then, I get to cover something pretty extraordinary thanks to the day job. When I found out that Christopher Walken was going to tour the old Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford and then sit down for an interview, I expressed my interest to the editorial staff. A few days before the event, I was able to connect with someone else who was filming and needed an extra videographer. I was one of six cameras rolling and since I have more experience in stills, I was asked to capture those moments.

Walken stopped by Lil Moes before heading over to Stage One to surprise the patrons there. It quickly became a mob scene with photographers from various news outlets, so I ducked out and headed back to Stage One.

I'll be honest, I'm pretty shy in general and was completely terrified to even speak to Christopher Walken. They wanted shots of him being mic'ed up, so I very meekly waved my hand to direct his attention to my camera.

There was a jazz three piece playing before Walken took the stage.

Matt Catalano, the executive director for the Stratford Commission for the Arts, spoke briefly about their efforts to restore the Shakespeare Theatre.

While my main focus was to shoot video, I made sure to snap a few photos as Walken came out. There were multiple cameras rolling and my shots would be used as details where needed. While you can clearly see the intensity that so easily threw me, Walken recalled some of his acting memories fondly. He had an absolute dead pan sense of timing, pausing ever so slightly after making a joke. At first, the audience was unsure whether or not they were allowed to laugh.

 

Everyone I worked with was blown away by the experience and I have to say, it was quite the opportunity. We were chattering on like giddy school children for an hour after Walken left as we dumped files onto an external hard drive.

To read the story that ran in the Stratford Star, click here.

And as always, I couldn't pass up the shoes.