Ben Stiller has shared that Christopher Walken once told him he performed several roles in his career “as if I was Bugs Bunny”.
In a late-February episode of The Severance Podcast – hosted by director Stiller and lead actor Adam Scott – Walken was invited as a special guest to talk about the Apple TV+ show. Prior to the pre-recorded interview segment, Stiller recounted to Scott a moment he shared with Walken once recording had ended.
“We were talking about acting – and how sometimes nobody knows what you’re thinking as an actor, right? But they just see you thinking, and that is what reads, and the audience fills it in,” Stiller told Scott. “It makes it feel real because they’re actually thinking about something.”
“He said that Bugs Bunny is one of his favorite actors ever,” Stiller revealed. “He was saying this with a twinkle in his eye – but not really. He said, ‘A lot of times I’ve played roles as if I was Bugs Bunny, but nobody knew.’ Now, which character? Which movie? We don’t know.”
Scott laughed, noting: “That is so Christopher Walken.” To which Stiller replied, “And he means it!” Listen to the full podcast episode here.
“He’s not messing around,” Scott added. “The result of that is a fascinating performance, I’m sure.” In a 2001 interview with The Washington Post, Walken stated that the Looney Tunes mascot has been an influence on his work.
“He’s so smart, he’s so funny, he’s got such a great attitude. Bugs Bunny is the spirit of New York,” the King of New York actor said. “You can’t fool Bugs Bunny. That’s all I have to say. He’s on to everybody.”
Severance, which features Walken in a supporting role, recently concluded its highly-anticipated second season. Read NME‘s explainer of its nail-biting season finale here.
Upon season two’s completion, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that season three had been greenlit. Recently, Britt Lower, who plays Helly, performed the show’s theme song with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon.