As the latest iteration of Stephen King’s The Running Man, which stars Glen Powell, will soon be playing on the 2025 movie calendar, the A-lister’s returned to the spotlight. Powell's next big stop is Studio 8H as Saturday Night Live Season 51's next host! It seems that he’s excited for it based on his iconic choreographed teaser he did to promote his episode for the NBC staple. The best part–to me is that the musical number homages a Christopher Walken one.

After leaving the extreme Running Man set conditions behind, Powell’s SNL promo showcases a much lighter side of the star. His teaser, though, pays tribute to one of the best celebs featured in top sketches, Christopher Walken. But as you’ll see, there’s no cowbell to be found, just a 37-year-old dancing throughout the set, leading up to the stage door. Check it out below:

As you can see, it fits Powell’s fun and goofy MO pretty perfectly, but the nod to Walken puts it over the edge over here. It certainly pulled off the job they were hoping for since I’ll be tuning in this weekend. What I loved most of all was the gag of the tumble gone awry and two returning cast members of Season 51, Sarah Sherman and Andrew Dismukes, watching their host get totted away.

But back to the Christopher Walken part. If you aren’t familiar with the bit’s reference, the “Weapons of Choice” video features the Hollywood vet dancing from start to finish. Although this promo uses a different song, I quickly realized he was immediately going all in on the Fatboy Slim video reference, which he delivered on. Take a look at how even the beginning frames and outfits mirror the classic:

Personally, I’d love to know what the OG dancer thinks of the modern day highlighter’s rendition. For me, I think those moves are so good it could elicit a musical getting added onto Powell's ever-growing resume. Though who knows if that would pan out since he already has five projects lined up (I’m hoping this random fan’s idea will get the traction).

As mentioned, Glen Powell's latest title, The Running Man, is on its way. Unsurprisingly, the first reactions of the modern Stephen King adaptation praise the Hit Man star’s performance. His presence has exponentially grown over the past couple of years, including his Mrs. Doubtfire-esque Chad Powers, which premiered earlier this year on the 2025 TV schedule.

So all of this to say, if Glen Powell is already taking on Christopher Walken references, Saturday night can’t come soon enough! You can catch his episode live on the eponymous night, November 15, at 11:30 pm EST on NBC. Alternatively, it’ll be available to stream the following day via a Peacock subscription.

You never quite know how a sketch is going to do in front of a live audience. That’s a recurring theme so many former Saturday Night Live cast members talk about. The bit might get great feedback from the other cast members and seem hysterical on the page, but if the crowd doesn’t go with it during the actual show, it’s not going to work.

Of course, why exactly they respond to something is a mystery. What works with one crowd during dress rehearsal may or may not work with the next crowd during the live show. There’s a long history of famous sketches that didn’t set the world on fire earlier in the day and went on to gain legendary status, most famously Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken’s iconic More Cowbell.

The sketch didn’t do particularly well during dress rehearsals, which prompted Ferrell, who wrote the sketch himself, to change his sweater from one that actually fit to one that showed his stomach. The result gave off a goofier, more slovenly impression and may have been one of the factors that changed how the audience responded. Here’s what SNL EP Morgan Neville told Deadline while discussing Peacock's SNL 50 docuseries, which devotes an entire episode to the sketch…

As a seasoned SNL fan who has watched hundreds of episodes over the years, I’d describe it as a vibe. Sometimes a sketch is able to slip into a rhythm where everything comes together to make it greater than the sum of its parts. Cast members can tell when something is working, and in their best moments, they can play off each other really well. Both Ferrell and Walken seem to sense what’s going on and really lean into their characters even more. Check out the sketch below to get a sense of what I’m talking about…

In some ways, being a comedian on Saturday Night Live is closer to being a professional athlete or being a professional wrestler than it is to being a more traditional movie or TV actor. When the light turns on, you have one chance to create something special, and what you did during the week, doesn’t really count. All that matters is what shows up during the one take that counts.

It’s not always about performing perfectly or saying all of our lines with the best enunciation. In fact, maybe the most talked about sketch is recent years is the Beavis and Butt-Head bit that went wrong in all the best ways. No, it’s just about finding that magic, that moment where it all comes together and connects with the audience.

We’ll never know if Will Ferrell’s costume change was the reason More Cowbell went so much better, but it was certainly part of the mix that made it so special. Twenty-five years later, we’re still talking about those iconic six minutes, and as long as the show continues, they’ll still be talking about it.

SNL will return for another season in early October. Final casting decisions haven’t been made. Unfounded rumors about the fates of specific cast members are being passed around, but we should start getting more info in the coming weeks. I’ll be watching and wondering what minor details got changed between dress rehearsal and the live show.

It feels like the right time on the 2025 movie schedule to release a thrill ride that could take our breaths away. And judging from what I’ve read through Drop’s critical reactions, I have a feeling that director Christopher Landon’s latest is going to fit the bill rather nicely.

However, I’m not here to talk about Meghann Fahy’s date from hell, because if you’re here, you’ve probably seen it by this point, and you want more. Well, allow me to introduce you to what I consider to be one of the best ‘90s movies, if only for the fact that it started my love for this underseen subgenre.

Johnny Depp’s Nick Of Time Walked So That Real Time Thrillers Could Drop

The 1995 release of the Johnny Depp starring Nick of Time may not have been the moment the real-time thriller was invented, but for Young Mike, it was a mindblower. The premise is deadly simple: accountant Gene Watson (Depp) is given a choice that could change his life - kill a California gubernatorial candidate or lose the life of his young daughter.

What makes director John Badham’s execution of this premise so amazing is that it’s a 90-minute movie, in real time, in one location. Also, Johnny Depp being terrorized by Christopher Walken, who plays the picture’s villain, Mr. Smith. In one of Depp’s most restrained performances, it’s Walken who gets to go nuts in Nick of Time, and gleefully so.

Throughout the single location of the hotel that’s hosting this campaign rally of death, twists and turns unfold. Gene tries to get smart, with Mr. Smith beating him most of the time, with everything leading up to a nail-biting conclusion that awaits when the deadline arrives. It’s fun, it’s tense, and for reasons that Drop director Christopher Landon has previously laid out, it has the two key ingredients that any real-time thriller needs to actually work.

Even Christopher Landon Recognized Nick Of Time’s Game When Making Drop

I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Landon at Drop’s trailer debut at BlumFest 2024. As we met up at this New York Comic Con press line, I told the man of the hour (and forty minutes) that Nick of Time was the first movie that came to mind after being introduced to Violet (Meghann Fahy) and her brush with danger.

His reaction, as recalled during my own Drop trailer reaction, was one of pure joy. Highlighting how he saw writers Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach’s script as a “good clean premise” that was also character-driven, this project had found a home in his heart. This leads me to how those very reasons apply to Nick of Time, connecting these pictures in heart and mind.

While Nick of Time missed out on my list of 32 great movies under 90 minutes, it exhibits the same economy of story that any proper example of this genre possesses. As far as the character-driven half goes, following Johnny Depp’s Gene Watson through a journey that introduces him to friend and foe is a tense exercise. Not knowing who to trust makes it difficult to plan, especially in a situation where time is literally not on your side.

As for the “clean premise,” writer Patrick Sheane Duncan really puts his protagonist through his paces. Centering itself in one location, focusing on a singular protagonist, and limiting the time frame of the story all contribute to the simplicity that sharpens the hands on Nick of Time’s clock into dangerous weapons.

Put it all together, and you’ve got a movie that primed Young Mike to seek out other films like Phone Booth and TV series like 24 - both of which feature the unofficial king of real-time thrillers, Kiefer Sutherland. I think I’ve hyped this one up enough, as you can currently stream Nick of Time for free on Pluto TV, or rent the film on Digital HD. No matter which method you prefer, if you’re picking up what Drop’s putting down, you shouldn’t waste time jumping into this cult classic.

That time has come. We no longer get to look forward to the next The White Lotus episode on the 2025 TV schedule, because this weekend is the end! Of Season 3, at least. Now our final theories are in, it's time to look forward to Season 4 and while yes, we've been thinking ahead about where it could be set, I actually think what might be more interesting is who signs on for the cast. So, I asked two of this season’s cast members, and they had some solid ideas.

So far, we’ve seen a slew of big stars join The White Lotus. Remember when Connie Britton, Alexandra Daddario (and her white bikini) and Sydney Sweeney were all in the first season? And what about Aubrey Plaza and the return of Jennifer Coolidge in Season 2? The Season 3 cast has been even more stacked with the likes of Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Lalalisa all a part of it. Who could be next?

The White Lotus’s youngest cast members Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola, who play two of the Ratliff kids have some ideas. As Nivola brainstormed:

Oh, I love Walken in Severance, and would be so game for the 82-year-old to play a retiree with some sort of dark secret in the next The White Lotus edition. Plus, due to Severance, we already know he's game for TV.

Sure, the 84-year-old Al Pacino would also be a great character actor from the same generation to catch on the small screen for another one of Mike White’s enrapturing storylines. Cruise is another interesting one because the actor has been so invested in big-screen affairs, so it’s the last place we’d think to find him, though that probably means a Lotus appearance is never gonna happen.

Nivola, who is actually the son of Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola, also said he’s thought about Kieran Culkin before as well. Culkin recently was part of the 2025 Academy Award winners for A Real Pain after having an incredible run on TV (full of award wins) as part of the Succession cast as well. And, Hook had this fabulous idea to throw out there:

I mean, of course. How could someone not mention Meryl Streep? She belongs everywhere always. And we definitely know she’s been loving being part of television shows given her stint on Only Murders In The Building after previously doing Big Little Lies. N

ow, if Streep were to come on The White Lotus, I’d definitely want her to play something completely different from other roles of hers, but to me this is a solid thought and one I'd love to see play out in Mike White's hotel universe.

During the interview, we also talked about how an actor from the ‘90s like Alicia Silverstone would be a good pick to follow up Posey’s viral time in Season 3. Though whether an actor signs on might have to do with which location the next season is going to be filmed in. For Season 3, the cast committed to being in Thailand for seven months, which proved to be oddly lonely for many of them.

And of course there’s always Parker Posey’s ideas for Jennifer Coolidge to return via hallucination! We’ll of course be looking out for casting updates once Season 4 does get underway.

Severance is one of Apple TV’s best shows because of its many mysteries that baffle fans and the online discourse it causes. For example, the most recent episode brought to light a discrepancy in Burt's (Christopher Walken) timeline at Lumon, leading fans to doubt this fan-favorite character. Then, in a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Walken seemingly tried to calm worries surrounding the issues with his character's timeline, but his explanation only encouraged fans' suspicions.

Warning bells sounded for fans this episode when Burt's husband Fields (John Noble) recalled the origins of Burt's nickname “Attila”. Fields adamantly claimed it started 20 years prior because he remembers it happening over drinks with Burt’s old Lumon partner. The problem arises when Irving points out the first severed office opened only 12 years ago.

This interaction did not go unnoticed by audiences. In fact, CinemaBlend's Riley Utely took the chance to ask Christopher Walken about the timeline slip-up and what it might mean for the rest of the season. Unlike his Severance counterpart, the Catch Me If You Can actor had an answer prepared to ease fans’ worries:

It seems like Walken was trying to use common lapse in memory to explain Burt and Field’s confusion over his time at Lumon. However, rarely do things happen without meaning in Severance, and fans in the TikTok and Instagram comments of this interview were not so easily convinced by the Pulp Fiction actor’s offered explanation:

• Innie Burt said 7 years in the first season so I’m skeptical either way -@Chris_y on Tiktok
• Ok Burt… nice try -@kim.beckett on Tiktok
• Ah and night gardeners are a thing too huh? -@user308060475160 on Tiktok
• I believe Christopher, but Burt is shady as hell -@schneiderwho on Instagram
• Christopher covering for his innie. We’re onto you Burt -@taylorrosario_ on Instagram
• Same! Time goes so fast but I do believe there is some significance here -@shelleyc69 on Instagram

Their suspicion is not without reason. At this point in the series, it’s clear that not everyone is who they seem, and little slips have later revealed a person’s true character.

I’m, of course, talking about Helena in the ORTBO episode. As it happens, it was Innie Irv who caught onto the imposter in the group, first tipped off by her night gardener comment back in Season 2, Episode 1 and later because of her cruel words toward him at the campfire.

While Walken's character now holds uncertainty, Outie Irving is still one of the biggest question marks in Severance. Who is always calling on the payphone? How does he know about the testing floor? Why and how does he have a secret locked trunk full of documents about severed employees?

What we do know is that both Burt and Irv have worked at Lumon for nearly a decade, give or take. There are even a number of fan theories speculating that Walken and Turturro’s characters have been involved with each other before, but that their chips have been reset.

This is a theory I fully buy into. I mean, if they both worked at Lumon for so long, wouldn’t it make sense they had met before, perhaps even pre-severance, and have such a long history that dates get mixed up? Unfortunately, the King of New York actor is being as vague as his character, making sure not to let anything slip. Maybe we’d have better luck talking with Noble…

My extended theory here is that Irving is Burt’s past Lumon partner that Fields mentions at dinner, right before he accidentally reveals that Burt may not be exactly who we think. Perhaps they were both involved in the early developmental stages of severance at Lumon, and Irving felt one way about the direction of the company while Burt felt another.

While I would love to take the Sleepy Hollow actor’s words at face value, this episode has given us reason to doubt Burt’s true character, and I think a little suspicion moving forward is warranted. Hopefully, we find out more about Burt and Irving’s pasts when the new episode drops this Friday on the 2025 TV Schedule and we stream it with an Apple TV+ subscription.

Spoiler alert! This story discusses the Severance Season 2 episode “Attila,” so be sure to watch it with your Apple TV+ subscription before reading further!

We’re now a couple of weeks past Severance’s ORTBO episode on the 2025 TV schedule, and while I’m still trying to shake off the nightmares of “Woe’s Hollow,” the latest offering of one of the most bingeable shows streaming right now proves that we Macrodats must remain on high alert. This is partially because Christopher Walken came back in a big way this episode, and we learned about his character’s nickname “Attila,” (also the episode title). He spoke to CinemaBlend about this nickname too, and I fully agree with Walken's takeaway.

The February 21 episode finally reunites us with Irving for the first time (not counting his watermelon-sculpted head) since his Innie’s “immediate and permanent dismissal.” More importantly, though, John Turturro’s Outie Irv is reunited with Burt, and we learn quite a bit about the “retired” O&D employee, including his reason for severing and that he and his husband call each other “Attila.”

Christopher Walken admitted to our own Riley Utley that it feels like there’s more to that name than simply being a play on the pet name “hon,” as he said:

This kind of thing is why Severance is one of the best Apple TV+ series. Christopher Walken didn’t need anyone to confirm a deeper meaning to Burt and Fields’ nickname for each other to feel its dark implications.

The pet name is obviously a play on Attila the Hun, the feared enemy of the 5th century Roman Empire who is known for, amongst other things, killing his brother to become the sole ruler of the Huns. Hmm, haven’t we heard a story recently about someone murdering their brother?

Could Burt Goodman factor into the stories about Kier and Dieter Eagan, or even Irving’s skin-crawling dream in “Woe’s Hollow”? I’m not sure, but what I do know is that Mr. Drummond seemed pretty sure Irving was otherwise occupied when he let himself into Irv’s house, and wait, was that a pineapple I spied in Burt and Fields’ kitchen? Lumon is listening indeed.

Let’s not forget that terrifying glare “Attila” gave as Irv left that night (spare ham in hand). Many fans have theorized there’s a deeper history between Burt and Irving than we’ve been told, and especially after Christopher Walken’s reaction to his character’s nickname, I’m feeling a little wary (and, yes, quite intimidated) about the pineapple of Irv’s eye.

New episodes of Severance drop each Friday on Apple TV+.

Some spoilers below for Severance’s Season 2 premiere, so tread carefully while running through the labyrinth of hallways if you haven’t yet streamed it with an Apple TV+ subscription.

Few TV shows arriving on the 2025 premiere schedule are set to provoke as many bonkers fan theories as Severance Season 2, and the Lumon-branded gloves have already come off now that we’ve finally seen the series’ first new episode in 3 years. “Hello, Ms. Cobel” reignited so many of the same speculation-centered synapses, even without Patricia Arquette’s character actually appearing. Another absent fan-fave was Christopher Walken’s Burt, but the Emmy-nominated actor’s latest comments seemingly confirm something big is coming.

Or to be more specific in relation to this show’s complicated nature: the comments seem to confirm something big already happened, and that further information may (re)surface for some of these characters. Namely, that Burt and Irving have known and cared for each other for far longer than their severed colleagues and viewers have been led to believe.

Speaking with Collider, Walken was asked if he knew he was specifically requested by co-star John Turturro to play the R&D head that so clearly captured and held Irving’s attention throughout Season 1. The Deer Hunter alum said he was only recently made aware of that tidbit, and then spoke of Burt and Irv’s kinship in a VERY intriguing way, saying:

By all means, I don't mean to imply that anything Christopher Walken said above is brand-spankin-new information to anyone paying attention. From the start, the chemistry between Walken and Turturro's characters was warm and friendly, among other things, and the duo's real-life friendship certainly shone through.

But what did we really see in those scenes? Burt and Irving talking about Lumon topics such as the new tote for the handbook, art, and other things. Some hand-touching. An embrace amidst some greenery. Moments that could easily imply a deeper relationship, but within a context that makes such a relationship seem impossible.

So for Christopher Walken to say that he and Turturro are "playing people who love each other," I can't think of any other way to take it than to assume that their backstory goes much deeper than what we've been led to believe. Which, obviously, has been a huge avenue for fan theories, particularly when it comes to Outie Irving's paintings.

Fans Like Me Believe Lumon Reset Burt And Irving's Chips After They Had A Previous Relationship

Without going too deep down any rabbit holes, the basic idea is that Burt and Irving likely worked in the same department together years prior to the start of the series. And that they got a little too close for Lumon higher-ups' comfort, leading both of them to get sent down to the Training Floor, the place where it's theorized that severed employees go to get their chips reconfigured. At this point, it's assumed that they were relocated to different departments in further efforts to eliminate such fraternizing.

But such is the power of love that Irving and Burt did indeed reconnect, and that their innate feelings are apparently too strong for Lumon's technology to successfully thwart in full. Rather than making the same choices and running the same risks as before, Lumon took the initiative to have Burt retire from the company outright, thus ending the duo's inter-office mingling.

Obviously their connection hasn't been severed altogether, though, or else Christopher Walken wouldn't be doing any promotional interviews for Season 2. But I do think it's interesting that Burt was left completely out of the stop-motion "Microdat Uprising" video.

For now, it's unclear just how and where he'll pop up again, but I'm making a hopeful fan's bet that we'll see Outie Irving and Outie Burt having a potentially baffling discussion sooner rather than later. I doubt we'll find out what the goats think about it, though we did get a bit more insight into the that mystery.

Severance streams new Season 2 episodes on Apple TV+ every Friday, as followed by new episodes of Ben Stiller and Adam Scott's companion podcast.

One of TV’s most memorable pairings of rock music and comedy, Saturday Night Live’s “More Cowbell” remains one of the series’ most celebrated sketches nearly 25 years after it first aired and is widely considered to be Will Ferrell’s funniest sketch. For many of those years, fans were under the false impression that Ferrell shared a creative credit with another writer for the classic segment, but the Anchorman star set the record straight-ish.

As part of a conversation hosted by Interview Magazine, Ferrell yukked it up with current SNL fan-fave Bowen Yang about his career in general and his time on the longrunning NBC series more specifically. Speaking about having a steady comedy friends group through and after college, Yang addressed a comment Ferrell made about being better equipped for structure as opposed to improvised comedy. Here’s how this back-and-forth went:

• YANG: But I’m curious when you say that you do well with structure and not necessarily hustling. There’s a big server at SNL that has all the typed-out sketches from every single show, and it’s incredible. And weirdly, it’s the material thing that I’ll miss the most. It’s the access to documented comedy history. We were talking at work one day after a read-through, and we were just like, "I think Ferrell wrote ‘Cowbell’ by himself."
• FERRELL: Yeah.
• YANG: We had this discussion about the risks of writing solo as a cast member. People tense up at the table when they see it’s just your piece, but we were like, "You know who did it incredibly well was Will." And then we read “More Cowbell.”
• FERRELL: Well, according to Wikipedia, some playwright in Scotland or Ireland helped me. It’s so random.

Even though Will Ferrell had supposedly written the Blue Oyster Cult-riffing sketch with another person, it seems like Bowen Yang & Co. didn't put a whole lot of faith and appreciation in the mysterious other writer, since they all shared the belief that the Step Brothers co-star penned the segment himself, and were correct in that assumption.

For a full-cast show like Saturday Night Live where each writer and cast member are somewhat responsible for pitching both ideas and themselves as the perfect vessels to bring those ideas to life. As such, it can be far easier to work in pairs or trios so that numbers can be used to one's advantage. Ferrell clearly didn't require such add-ons, but what's the story there?

Who Was The Alleged Co-Writer Of The "More Cowbell" Sketch?

For an unclear number of years, the dedicated Wikipedia page for SNL's "More Cowbell" sketch didn't list Will Ferrell as the sole writer, but gave him partial credit along with a "Donnell Campbell."

As Ferrell himself hinted at, seemingly the most prominent Donnell Campbell in the world was a Scottish poet, playwright and historian who died in 2019 at the age of 79. (There are others who share the name that would seemingly have even less to do with sketch-writing tasks.) It's unclear exactly why that writer's name has been attributed to the cowbell sketch for all these years.

Could it be that Campbell was given credit for the sketch simply because his name is arguably the traditional surname that sounds the most like "Cowbell" itself? If his first name had been "Mo," this theory would be a lot stronger.

Will Ferrell On How Writing Helped Him On His SNL Journey

Despite the fact that Ferrell's writing credit was seemingly watered down in the public's eye, the actor himself was obviously aware that he wrote the sketch by his lonesome, and also performed it to the best of his abilities, even after the dress rehearsal performance didn't go as positively as the cast would have hoped. (Which reportedly led to Ferrell donning an even small shirt that he had to keep pulling down the whole time.)

Ferrell attributed the ability to pen that sketch alone to his writing background within the Groundlings comedy group, and compared it to the more calamitous improvisational nature of UCB. In his words:

Whatever strategies Ferrell had in mind at the time when he was an SNL cast member, they clearly worked, since he became one of the show's most successful alums, sharing that space with superstars such as Bill Murray, Kate McKinnon and Mike Myers.

With less anxiety comes more comedy, it seems, with "More Cowbell" not only maintaining its popularity over the years, but also still being an example of a sketch that broke the most cast members. Chris Parnell is the only Repertory Player who didn't laugh on camera. (The Rick and Morty star did confess to smiling during an instant where he knew cameras were not on him.)

Perhaps expectedly, Christopher Walken himself also didn't break into laughter during the sketch, and quite convincingly argued his point that all he wanted in the world was more cowbell in "Don't Fear the Reaper." Ferrell later claimed that the sketch ruined Walken's life due to all the fans who yelled lines at him in public.

Ferrell clearly has no issues with fans yelling such comments at him, since he reprised Gene Frenkle for a live performance with Marc Anthony, and also brought the character back on SNL itself during the episode he hosted in which Green Day served as the musical guest. He humorously was not familiar with the song being performed, and unwittingly left the stage before it was finished.

Check out all the upcoming guest hosts and musical guests heading to Saturday Night Live's 30 Rock stage for the remainder of Season 50.

Plus, fans will no doubt see “More Cowbell” appear in some way, shape or form when the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary special airs as part of the 2025 TV premiere schedule on February 16.

All Saturday Night Live hosts have appeared "as themselves" in their monologue but things get really fun when they take allow themselves to be the butt of the joke in a sketch and appear as themselves. Not counting some of the jaw-dropping SNL cameos over the years, these are some of our favorite examples of a celebrity going meta at Studio 8H in a sketch from an episode that they headlined.

Brunch (Chris Hemsworth)

At first, in the Season 41 SNL sketch "Brunch," it seems that host Chris Hemsworth is playing a woman named Claire, who happens to be obsessed with the Thor actor until her friends begin to suspect that she is the Australian celebrity himself. They turn out to be correct when he reveals he wanted to make sure he was still one of the most desired Hollywood Chris' and the most desired Hemsworth.

Your Mom Talks To Megan Fox (Megan Fox)

One sketch from Megan Fox's sole hosting gig from SNL Season 35 sees the star of the Transformers movies appear as herself waiting for a friend of hers to get ready for a night out. During that time, she chats with Kristen Wiig as the friend's mother while she does laundry and has some eye-opening life advice to offer the actor.

I'm Just Pete (Pete Davidson)

For his return to Studio 8H as a host, Pete Davidson welcomed the opportunity to poke fun at his post-SNL career and personal life, most notably with a music video that quickly became one of the most popular sketches of Season 49. Set to the tune of the Oscar-nominated song "I'm Just Ken" from Barbie, the comedian channels Ryan Gosling's portrayal of the iconic doll (and dons his hairstyle) for a hilariously self-effacing ballad with blockbuster-level production design.

Little Focker Film Fan (Robert De Niro)

On his third appearance on SNL as a host, Robert De Niro stars in a sketch taking place on the set of 2010's Little Fockers, where meets a young boy named Keith (Bobby Moynihan) who is extremely excited by everything he sees, except for the two-time Academy Award winner. He even ribs De Niro for a few of his career misfires but, of course, goes crazy over receiving a page of the script, meeting a makeup artist, and when Ben Stiller, also playing himself, appears.

Why is Benedict Cumberbatch Hot? (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Everyone in this sketch, stars as themselves, including Beck Bennett, who sets up a game show in an attempt to understand why people find the night's host, Benedict Cumberbatch, attractive. It gives the Doctor Strange actor a chance to be self-effacing (comparing himself to the likes of a hammerhead shark and Sid the Sloth from the Ice Age movies) before his compliments toward Beck finally lead the SNL star to understand the English actor's appeal.

Meet The Family (Christopher Walken)

Everyone has their own Christopher Walken impression and most of the SNL cast, circa Season 33, had the opportunity to demonstrate their own right in front of the Academy Award winner. They play members of the host's family who reunite with him at a restaurant, discuss highlights of his career, and reminisce about their own lives together.

Friends (Matthew Perry)

Then Friends cast member Matthew Perry appears as Matt LeBlanc's character, Joey Tribbiani, for what starts a typical parody of the hit sitcom. It evolves into something more meta when Colin Quinn walks in as an overly flamboyant caricature of Chandler Bing, causing the host to unhappily break character and derail the whole sketch.

Ryan's Hometown (Ryan Gosling)

In 2015, first-time SNL host Ryan Gosling appeared as himself in a sketch set at a bar in Ontario, Canada, where he is being interviewed for a GQ profile. The interview is interrupted by the Drive star's childhood bully, Trevor (Kyle Mooney), who challenges him to perform a song from Dreamgirls, dance to Cathy Dennis' "Touch Me," and compare their muscular physiques before admitting that he misses the actor's presence.

United Way (Peyton Manning)

One of the funniest SNL sketches featuring a professional athlete is an SNL Digital Short framed as a United Way ad, featuring Peyton Manning spending the day with a group of children. Quickly, it becomes clear that this fictionalized version of the former Denver Broncos quarterback is the farthest thing from a good role model to the world's youth.

Old Lady Gaga (Lady Gaga)

Lady Gaga proved that she was totally game to make fun of herself when she hosted a 2013 SNL episode, which featured an entire sketch dedicated to mocking some of her most famous radio hits and iconic career highlights. It is set in a future where the world has forgotten about the pop star and her older self, desperate to find a fan, calls up her building's superintendent (Kenan Thompson), who at least can recognize "Empress Beyoncé."

Star Trek Convention (William Shatner)

Emmy winner William Shatner owes his career to the Star Trek franchise but you would think he was not so grateful with the way he treats fans in an SNL sketch from 1986. The Captain Kirk actor appears at a convention, where he urges a group of Trekkies to "get a life" instead of obsessing over the sci-fi TV show that he did "as a lark" back in the 1960s.

Hamm & Bublé (Jon Hamm)

After promoting "Jon Hamm's John Ham" in his first SNL hosting gig, Jon Hamm teamed with Michael Bublé (who was that night's musical guest) to introduce a new restaurant that serves pork and champagne. However, the crooner explains in his musical interstitials that he is being held captive by the Mad Men cast member and forced into helping him with this misguided and pun-fueled idea.

Point Blank (Wayne Gretzky)

The legendary Wayne Gretzky appeared as himself in a number of sketches, and proved to have some surprising comedic timing when he hosted SNL in 1989. One of the funniest moments sees the hockey star appears on a talk show that encourages viewers to call in to ask the guest something but none of the questions have anything to do with him or with hockey and are all people seeking advice for something obscure.

Easter Candy (Michael Keaton)

In 2015, Oscar nominee Michael Keaton appeared as a flamboyant, blonde-haired gentleman showing off the contents of his Easter basket, with help from Kate McKinnon as the seemingly imbalanced Portia. It is not until the very end of the deeply bizarre sketch that we discover the Batman actor has been portraying a highly fictionalized version of himself the whole time.

Bill Swerski's Super Fans (Michael Jordan)

NBA legend Michael Jordan plays himself in a few sketches from his sole hosting gig from 1991. One of the most essential highlights sees the Space Jam cast leader join the hosts of Bill Swerski's Super Fans in a cheer for his fellow Chicago Bulls while wearing hula skirts.

Steve Martin Wants More Money (Steve Martin)

When Five-Timers Club member Steve Martin returned to SNL for his then-record-breaking 14th hosting gig, the comedian starred in a sketch set backstage, where he demanded Lorne Michaels a pay raise. However, the producer insists that he go on or he could be replaced with the one person who was closest to matching his record at the time: Alec Baldwin.

Investigation Discovery Presents: White People Problems (Charles Barkley)

In one of the few SNL sketches starring Charles Barkley as himself with no relation to basketball, he is seen hosting a true crime docuseries. However, instead of covering murders or kidnappings, Investigation Discovery Presents: White People Problems discusses instances of caucasian people reacting angrily to situations that seem completely blown out of proportion to the Black people involved.

Chris' Bedtime Story (George Foreman)

In Season 20, George Foreman starred in a backstage-set sketch in which one-season SNL cast member Chris Elliott asks the host to read him a bedtime story so he can take a nap in his dressing room. We imagine that, if anyone else demanded such a request from the boxing champ in real life, it might not end well for them.

Elton John And The Royal Wedding (Elton John)

Most of the sketches from host Elton John's 2010 episode see the Grammy winner playing himself. One of the best SNL sketches featuring the musician sees him visiting the Royal Family, who reveal their nasty, conniving true selves to him behind closed doors.

Brian Diaries (Brian Williams)

A non-actor who still nailed it as an SNL host is Brian Williams, who actually portrayed several original characters throughout the show. However, the former NBC Nightly News anchor did play himself in a Digital Short offering an exaggerated account of his daily routine, which includes receiving a motivational message from Bono (also appearing as himself) while meditating.

Read To Achieve (LeBron James)

LeBron James made his true acting debut hosting SNL before portraying himself in Trainwreck convinced audiences he had talent off the basketball court. He also stars as himself in one sketch in which his attempts to film a PSA are repeatedly interrupted by an obnoxious PA (Jason Sudeikis) who cannot seem to throw the ball at the athlete correctly.

Garth Brooks Backstage With Tracy (Garth Brooks)

During his second hosting gig, Garth Brooks appeared in an SNL sketch taking place backstage at Studio 8H, where cast member Tracy Morgan voices his disparaging opinion of that night's musical guest, Chris Gaines. What the country music star does not disclose to the comedian is the fact that he and the rock singer are actually the same person.

Sugar-Frosted Anabolic Steroids (Fran Tarkenton)

SNL has poked fun at how professional athletes often endorse products on many occasions, such as when John Belushi played himself in an ad for a breakfast cereal that was literally chocolate donuts. In the 1970s, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton tried his hand at the topic with a sketch that sees him endorse a cereal that is literally just performance-enhancing drugs.

Fernando's Hideaway (Mr. T And Hulk Hogan)

When actors/professional wrestlers Mr. T and Hulk Hogan hosted SNL together in the 1980s, they mostly appeared as themselves throughout the show. The most esteemed highlight sees them as guests on a recurring talk show bit hosted by Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas, who goes off script to acknowledge the Hulkster's bouncing pecs when he accidentally laughs in the middle of the segment.

Marvin PSA/Knockouts (Marvin Hagler)

No one through a knockout punch quite like Marvelous Marvin Hagler in his day, which served as the inspiration for a bit from his SNL hosting gig. He appears in a PSA to help prepare people for if and when they might be forced to oppose him in the ring.

Boston Teens: Ski Lift (Jonny Moseley)

Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch used to star in a recurring SNL sketch as stereotypical Boston teenagers Pat Sullivan and Denise McKenna. One edition saw them share a ski life with Olympic Gold medalist Jonny Moseley, who acts as a referee when the couple gets into an argument.

Finnish Talk Show (Katy Perry)

Katy Perry's second time on SNL was also her first time serving as a host, during which she starred in a sketch in which the pop star appears on a talk show from Finland. She soon discovers that the host (played by Kristen Wiig) has employed an unusually thorough research team, allowing her to have a clip ready to fun for literally any topic that comes up.

Football Liar (Walter Payton)

One of Jon Lovitz's most popular recurring characters on SNL was the habitually dishonest Tommy Flanagan. One sketch sees him run into Chicago Bears running back (and that night's host) Walter Payton who ends up being just as big a liar as he is.

Sports Beat (Nancy Kerrigan)

After suffering an infamous attack which was later dramatized in 2017's I, Tonya, Nancy Kerrigan proved she had a sense of humor about it when she hosted SNL. One sketch sees the figure skater appearing on a talk show with other Olympians who endured much worse injuries than she did but would receive far less favorable treatment.

Tommy Flanagan: Drinking With The Jaggers Cold Open (Jerry Hall)

Tommy Flanagan talks up model Jerry Hall and tries to convince her that he personally knows Mick Jagger. It seems that the facade is compromised when the Batman 1989 cast member's boyfriend, the Rolling Stones frontman himself, appears but he ends up using the pathological liar as an excuse for his absence a previous weekend.

Michael Phelps Diet (Michael Phelps)

Like any committed athlete, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps consumes a high-calorie diet for the purpose of burning off those calories during practice in the pool. However, when he hosted SNL, he starred in a fake ad promising that regular people could indulge in the same diet without exercise, on to show that the results would be disastrous.

Tennis Player Adoption (Andy Roddick)

To younger viewers, the 2021 biopic King Richard's depiction of Richard Williams' disciplinary coaching style of his daughters, Venus and Serena, must have been shocking. However, it was common knowledge when 2003 U.S. Open winner Andy Roddick hosted SNL and appeared in a sketch where Williams (Kenan Thompson) proposes to adopt the athlete as his son.

Across the entire history of the James Bond movies, the actors playing 007 have been as compelling as the adversaries that opposed them on screen. In the spirit of those menacing performances, we’d like to highlight 32 actors who have played the villain in the Bond canon.

Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No)

The first villain in 007 history, the titular Dr. No helped introduce the world to SPECTRE’s brand of villainy through actor Joseph Wiseman. Notable credits of the Canadian actor include a ‘50s adaptation of Les Miserables, as well as an appearance in an early season of Law & Order. 

Robert Shaw (From Russia With Love)

While most movie fans would remember Robert Shaw from films like Jaws or The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, the man was also one of the most memorable James Bond villains ever. Playing Red Grant in From Russia With Love, Shaw’s SPECTRE agent was the first, and one of the best, dark mirrors to 007 himself. 

Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger)

Though he was vocally dubbed over in his role as Goldfinger’s titular villain, Gert Fröbe’s appearance was nonetheless imposing in the early era of Sean Connery’s James Bond. Coincidentally, Fröbe would also land a part in another Ian Fleming adaptation: the Dick van Dyke-led musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Adolfo Celi (Thunderball)

Adolfo Celi is one of those James Bond villains that you may do a double take upon seeing them. But rest assured, the polyglot performer was the villain in both Thunderball and Operation: Kid Brother, menacing both Sean Connery and his brother Neil during the 1960’s. 

Donald Pleasance (You Only Live Twice)

Donald Pleasance certainly needs no introduction to fans of the best horror movies of all time, thanks to his role as Dr. Loomis in the classic run of Halloween movies. But his iconic career also holds the distinction of the actor being the very first version of Ernst Stavro Blofeld we see on screen. 1967’s You Only Live Twice ushered in the character, who eventually became James Bond’s cinematic arch-nemesis. 

Telly Savalas (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)

While Telly Savalas was the second incarnation of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, some would argue that he was indeed the most menacing and charming. With a career that included films such as Kelly’s Heroes, and TV series like The Twilight Zone and Kojak, his spot in George Lazenby’s lone Bond movie only further proved his versatility. 

Charles Gray (Diamonds Are Forever)

Though Charles Gray appeared as an ally to James Bond in You Only Live Twice, that didn’t stop the powers that be from casting him to be the third variant of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 007 legacy. His balance of smarm and campy menace would serve him well later on, as The Criminologist in the film adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

Yaphet Kotto (Live And Let Die)

Even American acting legends like Yaphet Kotto found their way into the James Bond ecosystem. A veteran of projects like Alien and Homicide: Life on the Streets, Kotto was also the iconic Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big in Live and Let Die, serving as the first antagonist in the era of Roger Moore’s James Bond. 

Christopher Lee (The Man With The Golden Gun)

Sir Christopher Lee’s iconic acting career had him playing roles like Dracula and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings saga. However, his role as Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun is rather impressive for some other James Bond-related reasons. Not only was Lee a cousin to author Ian Fleming, but he was also one of the original actors considered for the role of 007.

Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only)

A performer deeply canonized in the trenches of geekdom, Julian Glover has held roles in both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, as well as a recurring spot in HBO’s Game of Thrones. That last connection is all the more exciting when you consider that For Your Eyes Only not only had Glover in its cast, but Tywin Lannister himself, Charles Dance, was also present. 

Christopher Walken (A View To A Kill)

While most people probably wouldn’t bat an eye at Christopher Walken playing a James Bond villain, most folks would more than likely be hard-pressed to answer the question of if he ever did. This makes Walken’s role in A View to a Kill even more exciting to behold, as the Dune: Part Two actor actually got to challenge Roger Moore in his final turn as 007.

Sean Bean (Goldeneye)

Fans of actor Sean Bean love to play an infamous game whenever they see the veteran of The Lord of the Rings and Snowpearcer on screen: “Does Sean Bean Die In This Movie?” Well, Goldeneye may have been the movie that started that craze, thanks to a string of opportunities in the decades that ensued answering that question with a resounding yes.

Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Worldwide audiences probably best know Jonathan Pryce from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as he played the father to Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann. However, deep-fried fans of the Brazil actor’s work also know that Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies as one of the most effective Bond Villains. 

Sophie Marceau (The World Is Not Enough)

In one of the best plot twists ever, Sophie Marceau’s Elektra King goes from Bond Girl to Bond Villain in The World is Not Enough. Prior to that head-turning reveal, Marceau had been seen at the box office in the classic epic Braveheart, as well as the David Spade comedy vehicle Lost & Found. 

Toby Stephens (Die Another Day)

Toby Stephens’ Gustave Graves is another fantastic example of the “dark mirror” villain archetype at work. However, playing the eccentric Die Another Day villain seemed to allow the future star of Black Sails and Lost in Space to do something most 007 baddies don’t get to do: play James Bond through a series of BBC radio adaptations. 

Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale)

When he helped kick off Daniel Craig’s James Bond era, Mads Mikkelsen kind of fell into the role of Casino Royale’s sinister Le Chiffre. Of course, in the years since, he’s been seen as everything from a loving father in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to the cannibalistic psychiatrist that gave NBC’s Hannibal its title.

Javier Bardem (Skyfall)

Striding the line between charming and chilling, Raoul Silva from Skyfall is a role that actor Javier Bardem was born to play. And that’s even after considering the fact that Bardem’s career had already seen him in projects like No Country For Old Men and Collateral. But even with that sort of clout at his disposal, one of his big scenes with Daniel Craig was almost cut.

Christoph Waltz (Spectre)

When Christoph Waltz was announced as starring in Spectre, all of the rumors pointed to the breakout star of Inglorious Basterds as the modern Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Considering he had quite a few baddies on his resume by that point, it’s kind of amusing to imagine a world where he wasn’t the Daniel Craig-era incarnation of 007’s greatest silver screen foe.

Andrew Scott (Spectre)

Andrew Scott is too good at playing a villain. Before he became Fleabag’s “hot priest” or even set eyes on the complicated figure at the heart of Netflix’s Ripley, Scott’s time as Moriarty for Steven Moffat’s Sherlock probably helped cast him as the hidden evil known as C in Spectre. 

Rami Malek (No Time To Die)

You don’t have to have won an Academy Award to play a modern James Bond villain. Though it may have helped Rami Malek land his No Time To Die role as Safin, an assassin who’s looking to wreck the world in his own special way. Malek’s casting came after years of roles like HBO’s The Pacific and the Night at the Museum movies giving him quite the shining star. 

Lotte Lenya (From Russia With Love)

A prolific singer and artist before and after her time in the James Bond series, Lotte Lenya only further entrenched herself in entertainment history in From Russia With Love. As the dominating Rosa Klebb, Lenya was one of the first lieutenants of SPECTRE seen going head-to-head with 007. 

Luciana Paluzzi (Thunderball)

Italian actress Luciana Paluzzi’s role as Fiona Volpe in Thunderball gave James Bond one of his most formidable femme fatales. Ms. Paluzzi’s portrayal would eventually win her roles on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as well as its spinoff The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Coincidentally, one of Luciana’s previous credits was in a film directed by Dr. No director Terrence Young. The name of that film? No Time To Die. 

Curt Jurgens (The Spy Who Loved Me)

As the antagonist in The Spy Who Loved Me, actor Curt Jürgens terrorized Roger Moore and Barbara Bach in a caper that brought together British spy and Soviet operatives alike. A Eurpoean film star prior to his James Bond casting, Jürgens’ career in world domination came later on in his career. 

Joe Don Baker (The Living Daylights)

Charles Gray and Joe Don Baker both hold a very important distinction in the James Bond legacy: they’ve both played heroes and villains in that very same series. In Baker’s case, his appearance as heel Brad Whittaker in The Living Daylights put him in a prime position to return in the Pierce Brosnan run as 007’s American ally, CIA agent Jack Wade.

Robert Davi (License To Kill)

You’ve seen and heard Robert Davi in everything from the Halo video games to the cult classic Showgirls. And right on the man’s impressive resume is a spot in the James Bond Hall of Fame, as License to Kill’s Franz Sanchez. His approach to playing a Bond villain was so in sync with Timothy Dalton’s 007, that it remains one of the best adversaries in the series.

Louis Jourdan (Octopussy)

As the roguish villain Kamal Khan, French acting legend Louis Jourdan’s part in Octopussy only added to an already prolific career. Jourdan’s talents were also seen in TV series such as Charlie’s Angels and Columbo, as well as films like The Return of Swamp Thing. 

Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace)

How’s this for a coincidence? Before he played the main villain in Quantum of Solace, actor Mathieu Amarlric actually co-starred with Daniel Craig in Steven Spielberg’s Munich. Years later, the water-focused supervillain would become a part of the Wes Anderson repertory cast, through roles in The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch. 

Michael Lonsdale (Moonraker)

The late great Michael Lonsdale made the role of Hugo Drax a very imposing figure in the Roger Moore-led adaptation of Moonraker. Years down the line, the French thespian would find himself co-starring with two other 007 actors, thanks to 1986’s The Name of the Rose and 2005’s Munich. Lonsdale starred alongside Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, respectively.

Charles Dance (For Your Eyes Only)

Believe it or not, Charles Dance once seemed to be in line to audition to replace Roger Moore as the 007 of the ‘80s. The man who would be Game of Thrones’ Tywin Lannister seemed perfectly positioned to do so after playing a henchman in For Your Eyes Only, but eventually declined to chase that opportunity. 

Famke Janssen (Goldeneye)

Before she became one of the actors that ushered in the age of X-Men being a successful film franchise, Famke Janssen made a name for herself against Pierce Brosnan’s Commander Bond. Starring as the henchwoman to Sean Bean’s Goldeneye baddie, her darkly comic menace is as legendary as her costuming. 

Robert Carlyle (The World Is Not Enough)

Scottish actor Robert Carlyle played the functional villain in The World is Not Enough, as his heavy Renard pushed James Bond further into a web of danger, intrigue, and nuclear weapons. And yet, his performance in this movie is relatively tame, considering he made his name as the uber-violent Begbie in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting just three years prior.

Jesper Christensen (Casino Royale)

Mr. White was always the man behind the man, through both Quantum and SPECTRE’s runs in the Daniel Craig 007 stories. And Jesper Christensen was present to play that role in three of the five entries that made up that arc, appearing in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Spectre. 

Even if the movie box office tanked over Super Bowl weekend, you can bet similar assessments won’t be made once the ratings are in for CBS, with the Chiefs and 49ers' overtime match-up going longer than expected, and thus bringing in no doubt massive audience numbers. For those whose love of football is minimal, the biggest draw of Super Bowl LVIII is the ads, where some of the biggest companies in the world spend zillions of dollars and recruit some of the world’ most famous celebs to promote them. 

How To Watch Super Bowl 2024 Online And Stream Chiefs vs 49ers Live Today

Okay, so for some people, the biggest draw might be Taylor Swift being there in support of boyfriend Travis Kelce, which even got parodied at the Puppy Bowl. Or Usher's halftime spectacular. But we’re talking about ads here, specifically the funniest commercials that aired amidst all the trailers and promos for CBS and Paramount+ shows hitting the 2024 TV schedule. So let's celebrate some of the silliest ads of the year that have aired thus far.

YouTube TV's Sunday Ticket Migration

To kick off the night, the YouTube TV-sponsored Super Bowl LVIII aired a...YouTube TV ad for NFL Sunday Ticket. Nothing subtle about that, and there was also nothing subtle about a bunch of NFL players acting like birds. Pretty sure I could watch a whole David Attenborough nature documentary where the animals were replaced by athletes.

Aubrey Plaza Having A Blast With MTN Dew

In a way that hits the same brain waves as a Droopy cartoon, I never tire of seeing Aubrey Plaza deadpan her way through a sentiment of excitement. That was the driving factor behind this ad, of course, but the best part of obviously the Parks and Recreation reunion between Plaza and Nick Offerman, and while riding dragons in a Game of Thrones-esque spoof. I'd watch that show.

Deadpool 3: Deadpool & Wolverine's Trailer

So I usually limit this round-up of Super Bowl ads to just product ads, without pointing out all the movie and TV trailers, but given all the hype building up to our first official look at Deadpool 3, it almost required a spot here. The full Deadpool & Wolverine trailer is obviously too raunchy for Super Bowl's massive audience base, but power to Ryan Reynolds & Co. for keeping the filth central to the teaser as well.

Michael Cera's Ad Pitch For CeraVe

Michael Cera hocking CeraVe has been a weird pop culture bookmark for a short while now, and this commercial makes it that much more understandable, even if it still seems like more of an April Fool's Day campaign than a Super Bowl ad. I'm still very much into it, though.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Being A Good Neighbor For State Farm

What's more fun that Arnold Schwarzenegger embracing his action star status in another Super Bowl commercial (this time with explosions)? Seeing the actor poke fun at his own accent, particularly the way he says "neighbahhh." And then obviously 1,000 cool points for the Danny DeVito appearance, which has us hoping for that Twins sequel again.

Talkin' Like (Christopher) Walken

There are certain celebrity impressions that a lot of people can do well, and there are some that a lot of people do terribly. Christopher Walken has been subject to the latter for ages, and BMW USA embraced the concept with its impersonation-filled ad, which also brings Usher into the mix for seemingly no reason other than his Super Bowl connection, making that timing reference completely irrelevant later in the year. Still, though.

Suits And Scrubs Stars, Laura Dern And More Audition For T-Mobile

T-Mobile has been nailing it with Super Bowl commercials as of late, with one of the 2023 highlights being John Travolta getting Grease-y with Zack Braff and Donald Faison. The latter two also showed up in the latest ad, alongside a bunch of other excellent celebs such as Suits' Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht, Laura Dern, Bradley and Gloria Cooper, and Jennifer Hudson.

Ben Affleck And The Dunkings

Capitalizing on the viral success of its 2023 ad with Ben Affleck and JLo, Dunkin' apparently dropped a bunch of money to get them back along with some other familiar friends such as Matt Damon and Tom Brady. I don't think the world necessarily needs the Dunkings, but I would listen to their album at least once, if only to hear Damon and Affleck riff on their movie quotes. "How do you like them...donuts? I'm so sorry." Love it.

Messi Kicking It Up A Notch For Michelob Ultra

One kind of football deserves another, right? Something like that. Michelob Ultra brought in one of soccer's biggest stars in Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi for some beachbound balling. It's a good time all in all, but it's the cameos from Dan Marino and Ted Lasso's Jason Sudeikis that put it in the goal.

Mr. T Pities The Fools Spelling Skechers Wrong

In the way that some people will swear that the Berenstain Bears was spelled differently at some point in time, the shoe brand Skechers has long been misspelled with a T in there. So what better way to address that specific issue than with the all-time great Mr. T. “I pity the fool who bends down to pick up their shoes,” is possibly more repeatable than it deserves to be. But it does deserve to be at least a little bit.

Jenna Ortega’s Doritos-Loving Abuelas

One might think that having Jenna Ortega in a Super Bowl commercial would mean she would be the biggest highlight of the ad, but that’s not the case for Doritos Dinamita chips. This action-packed commercial features a pair of older — or should I say bolder — women named Dina and Mita who will do anything to get to their snack of choice. No matter how many bruises it leaves on MCU star Danny Ramirez’s body. I kinda already hope Dina and Mita get their own movie.

Beyoncé Tries To Break The Internet

Seen in the stands with hubby Jay-Z and others, Beyoncé showed up outside of the stadium for a Verizon commercial in which she attempted to break the internet for Veep vet Tony Hale. It involved the idea of cyborg Bey, as well as a pinkified "Barbey," and I can't help but feel like both of those are going to become a reality before the next Super Bowl. What's more, she made due on her in-ad promise and dropped two new songs and some album news as the Super Bowl was airing.

Jason Momoa Sings A Ditty With Zach Braff And Donald Faison

I gotta give it up to T-Mobile for delivering not just one highlight, but two different ones, during Super Bowl LVIII, and it was a pure delight to see former co-stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison engage Jason Momoa in a tuneful ad that played up not just everyone’s pipes but also some fancy footwork. And the use of a chicken wing as a microphone. But I can’t tell if Momoa’s high note is more shocking than how long Braff’s bare shoulder is on the screen.

What is it that makes a Saturday Night Live character worthy of becoming the star of their own recurring sketch? Is it the way they dress or style their hair, the general ridiculous nature of their given situation, or is it their manner of speaking? We would actually say that much credit goes to that last example of criteria, based on the many great SNL character catchphrases we have compiled below.

“Well, Isn't That Special?” - The Church Lady

The chameleonic Dana Carvey has portrayed many recurring characters, but perhaps his single funniest SNL sketch is “Church Chat,” in which he plays Enid “The Church Lady” Strict. The deeply religious TV host has returned to Studio 8H several times and the secret to her enduring success is her hilariously sarcastic delivery of her signature line with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, That's The Ticket" - Tommy Flanagan

The phrase, “That’s the ticket,” is not exactly unique to Jon Lovitz’s Tommy Flanagan — the president of Pathological Liars Anonymous (or so he claims). However, it became imbedded in the SNL character’s legacy by the way it accompanies his most amusing fibs.

"We Are Two Wild And Crazy Guys!” - The Festrunk Brothers

Legendary Not Ready For Primetime Player Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin — arguably the greatest SNL host of all time — make up the swinging Czechoslovakian duo called the Festrunk Brothers. Of course, most people might know them better as the “Two Wild and Crazy Guys” from their vigorous mantra.

"New York's Hottest Club Is..." - Stefon

“Weekend Update” hosts just want Stefon (Bill Hader as the wild character he and John Mulaney created) to talk about the best family-friendly activities in New York. Instead, he would start his spiel by announcing the city’s new popular after hours joint, and it would only get funnier from there.

"We're Not Worthy!" - Wayne And Garth

Wayne Campbell (“Wayne’s World” creator Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) have come into contact with several celebrities (both on their cable access program and in their classic SNL spin-off movies). But, rarely have they been able to keep their cool around them, resorting to dropping to their knees, bowing, and declaring their undeserving presence.

"... I Live In A Van Down By The River!" - Matt Foley

The definitive performance by, arguably, the definitive ‘90s-era SNL cast member, Chris Farley, is his gut-busting portrayal of Matt Foley. In addition to being one of the most iconic divorced TV characters, the ill-advised motivational speaker’s most recognizable trait is his unfavorable place of residence (“a van down by the river”), which he reminds people of any chance he gets.

"Oooh, It's A Lady!" - Leon "The Ladies Man" Phelps

The most iconic character played by Tim Meadows (one of SNL’s longest-running cast members) is Leon Phelps, who would receive calls from men and women alike during his live romantic advice program. However, he always made it clear that he especially enjoyed attention from the opposite gender, which is exactly why they called him “The Ladies Man.”

"Cheeburger, Cheeburger, Cheeburger" - Pete Dionisopoulos

When Don Novello created the beloved SNL sketch from Season 3, “The Olympia Restaurant,” he might not have realized that simply repeating the word “cheeseburger” would create such an impact. Yet, John Belushi’s distinct pronunciation of it as the cafe’s Greek manager, Pete Dionisopoulos, served up a decadent comedy feast. 

"I’m Good Enough, I’m Strong Enough And Doggone It, People Like Me" - Stuart Smalley

Easily one of the most wholesome SNL characters ever conceived is Stuart Smalley, played by longtime series veteran and former U.S. senator Al Franken. He would begin each episode of his talk show, Daily Affirmations, with this personal affirmation that, perhaps, we should all be starting our days with.

"I'm Verklempt" - Linda Richman (Coffee Talk)

For various reasons — be it her strained relationship with her daughter or Barbra Streisand’s latest Oscar “snub” — Linda Richman often found herself overcome with emotion as host of “Coffee Talk.” By referring to these episodes as her being “verklempt,” the catchphrase became one of Mike Myers’ funniest quotes and never failed to get the audience howling.

"... Makin' Copies!" - Richard Laymer

Office worker Richard Laymer (Rob Schneider) is better known as “the Richmeister,” in reference to his tendency give his colleagues similar-sounding nicknames. This was typically followed by Rich acknowledging they were “makin’ copies” with the machine that just happened to be near his desk, much to their chagrin.

"We Want To Pump You Up!" - Hans And Franz

Austrian fitness “experts” Hans (Dana Carvey) and Franz (Kevin Nealon) had a pretty apt slogan for their program, Pumping Up, stating that they “want to pump [clap] you up!” However, we would discover that they failed to earn the respect of their famous bodybuilder cousin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, when he appeared in one of the most jaw-dropping SNL cameos as himself.

"Party On..." - Wayne And Garth

It was always a party on Wayne’s World, as co-hosts Wayne and Garth often reminded  audiences with this endearing, celebratory greeting. Of course, this phrase is also associated with another famous duo from the same era: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s titular dudes from the Bill and Ted movies.

"I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not" - Chevy Chase (Weekend Update)

We can sum up Chevy Chase’s signature style of charming smugness and dry wit in just six words. It is with this same phrase that the future Community cast member began nearly every “Weekend Update” segment he hosted during his short, but memorable run on SNL in the 1970s.

"... But I Love Him" - Jodi Deitz (Bronx Beat)

The talk show Bronx Beat was, essentially, an excuse for New York housewives Betty Caruso (Amy Poehler) and Jodi Deitz (Maya Rudolph) to voice their boisterous, and sometimes condemning, opinions on various subjects — with Jodi’s husband being a frequent topic. However, her complaint over her spouse’s moronic tendencies was always accompanied with a tearful affirmation that he still made her happy.

"Give Me A Break" - Ed Grimley

It’s hard to believe that a legend like Martin Short was only on SNL for one season, especially with his impressive assortment of characters like Ed Grimley. The pop-culture obsessed, erratic man-child — borrowed from the actor’s SCTV days — had a few different catchphrases, but his delivery of and situational choices for using “Give me a break” made it a classic.

"It Just Goes To Show Ya, It's Always Somethin'. If It's Not One Thing, It's Another" - Roseanne Roseannadanna

One of the most iconic “Weekend Update” guest characters was Roseanne Roseannadanna, who ended each of her nauseating appearances declaring that, “It’s always somethin’.” The phrase would serve as the title for the late, great Gilda Radner’s memoir, in which she reveals she borrowed it from her own late father’s favorite expression. 

"Superstar!" - Mary Katherine Gallagher

While her intentions may have been hard to interpret at face value, Mary Katherine Gallagher’s commitment to becoming a “superstar” was made clear in the way she exclaimed the phrase with an irresistible gusto. As such, Superstar became the name of a 1999 movie that put Molly Shannon’s quirky Catholic school student in the cinematic spotlight.

"Would You Like To Touch My Monkey?” - Dieter (Sprockets)

West German talk show host Dieter (Mike Myers) is another one of those characters who had many iconic catchphrases at his disposal, with the most famous being “Would you like to touch my monkey?” While it initially sounds a bit suggestive, he is genuinely curious if the guests on his show, Sprockets, would be interested in petting his pet, Klaus.

"Oh No!" - Mr. Bill

Few SNL bits are more traumatic than the short films starring Mr. Bill. The meek, indefensible clay figure could never do anything to prevent the painful situations he found himself in, but to exclaim, “Oh no!” right before they occurred.

"Bring It On Down To ...-Ville!" - Dancing Mascot

Nearly every one of Five-Timers Club member Justin Timberlake’s SNL gigs see him dressed in a ridiculous outfit, performing spoofs of hit songs to promote a local business — such as Omeletteville or Wrappingville — and upstage the competition on the same sidewalk. The pop star and actor even referenced the recurring sketch and its signature quote during a “Weekend Update” appearance when he imagines a non-existent Thanksgiving episode in which we would have brought it on down “Turkeyville.”

"Talk Amongst Yourselves. I'll Give You A Topic..." - Linda Richman (Coffee Talk)

When in need of a moment to compose herself after becoming “verklempt,” Linda Richman always avoided leaving her Coffee Talk audience empty-handed by offering them a conversation piece to pass the time. Examples of her given discussion topics include “Rhode Island is neither a road, nor is it an island” and “Ralph Fiennes is spelled neither rafe nor fines” among many others.

"Buh-Bye" - Flight Attendants

One of the funniest David Spade quotes comes courtesy of a flight attendant who wastes no time letting passengers know he does not want to be there. The character and his iconic “Buh-bye” debuted in a Season 19 SNL sketch also starring Helen Hunt as his equally rude colleague.

"Oh. Well, That’s Different. Nevermind!" - Emily Litella

As the elderly Emily Litella, Gilda Radner appeared on “Weekend Update” numerous times to present an opposing viewpoint to an editorialized topic, only to be informed that her supposed hearing problems led her to dish on something entirely different from the intended subject. Some of the most classic examples include “violins on television” instead of “violence on television” or questioning why the Supreme Court made a decision on a “deaf penalty” when, in fact, it was a decision on the “death penalty."

"What're YOUUUU Doin' Herrre?" - Stuart (The Californians)

The key as to why a sketch as simple as “The Californians” has stood the test of time is Fred Armisen’s preposterously over-the-top West Coast accent when portraying Stuart, especially when asking why certain acquaintances are in his house. Apparently, as Bill Hader shared with Seth Meyers on Late Night, he and Kristen Wiig did not know Armisen would pronounced “What’re you doing here?” so cartoonishly, causing the sketch to not go quite as planned with their uncontrollable laughter.

"You Look Marvelous" - Fernando Lamas

The peak highlight of Billy Crystal’s brief SNL stint was his portrayal of Fernando Lamas as a talk show host who often gushed over how “mahvelous” his guests looked. The Argentinian actor’s son, Lorenzo Lamas, even said that his father actually loved the impression.

"It's Reno Time!" - Janet Reno

For as long as Janet Reno served the U.S. Attorney General, Will Ferrell played her for years as the misplaced host of a teen-centered musical program called “Janet Reno’s Dance Party.” On the final edition of the sketch, the real politician herself crashed through a brick wall to shout out her SNL doppelgängers catchphrase.

"... Is That Bad To Do Do Do...?" - Junice Merill

No character portrayed by Academy Award-nominated SNL star Kristen Wiig is really known for having any definitive catchphrases, but Junice Merill does have her own “catch-lyric.” When she and her sisters appear on The Lawrence Welk Show, she takes one moment of their performance to confess something grotesque and possibly illegal before asking if it is “bad” in song.

"Delta Delta Delta! Can I Help Ya, Help Ya, Help Ya?" - Delta Delta Delta Sorority Sisters

One of the youngest SNL cast members (being 23 at the time) is Melanie Hutsell, whose most famous character was a sorority pledge named Di. She and her fellow sisters (played by Siobhan Fallon and Beth Cahill) would answer the sorority house phone in this most hilariously upbeat way.

"I Got A Fever And The Only Prescription Is More Cowbell!" - Bruce Dickinson

One of the most iconic SNL sketches prominently featuring an A-list host is a faux clip of Blue Öyster Cult recording “Don’t Fear the Reaper” under the supervision of Christopher Walken as Bruce Dickinson. His likening of Gene Frenkle’s (Will Ferrell) cowbell as a cure for his metaphorical illness in this one-off sketch may not exactly count as a catchphrase, but is undeniably one of the most celebrated lines in the series’ history. In fact, Walken claims it “ruined” his life with how often people quote it at him.

"Don't Look At My Bum" - Simon

Mike Myers stars in a recurring sketch as a young British boy named Simon, who likes to show the audience his drawing from a bathtub. In many instances, as he would turn around to reach for another example of his artwork, the child felt compelled to remind his viewers not to stare at his “bum.”

"That's What Your Mother Said Last Night" - Sean Connery (Celebrity Jeopardy!)

For no discernible reason, Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery was more interested in spending the entirety of his appearances in SNL’s best Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches taunting Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek than winning the game. Most of his insults involved the host’s mother, whom he jokingly claimed to have a relationship with.

These SNL catchphrases prove that, sometimes, it is not what you say, but how you say it. These characters said it hilariously.

Very few people can say that they started out working their dream job and celebrities — excluding some well-known child stars, of course — are certainly no exception. Many of the biggest names on the A-list used to make a living doing something completely different than what they are now famous for, but at least some of them can say that one of their earliest jobs was especially different. Take a look at some of our favorite examples of not-so-average professions famous people took on before hitting it big.

Meghan Markle (Calligrapher)

Even before Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, she knew how the write like a princess. According to People, the former Suits cast member used to work part-time as a professional calligrapher, writing out wedding invitations for the likes of Robin Thicke and Paula Patton and even teaching the craft.

Whoopi Goldberg (Mortuary Cosmetologist)

Even before teaming up with a “spirited” Patrick Swayze in the 1990 romantic supernatural thriller, Ghost, Whoopi Goldberg knew a thing or two about the dead. The future EGOT winner recalled to David Letterman on Late Night how she used to work in a mortuary putting makeup on corpses and styling their hair.

Matthew McConaughey (Golf Course Armadillo Hunter)

Matthew McConaughey broke through in the industry with his unforgettable performance in Dazed and Confused in 1994. Earlier than that (as he revealed to GQ), the Academy Award-winning Texas native worked at Oak Forest Country Club initially to just rake the golf course sand traps, until he was asked to also help get rid of an armadillo infestation. All right, all right, all right.

Christopher Walken (Lion Tamer)

Did you ever notice how often Christopher Walken has played an animal — such in 2016’s astonishing The Jungle Book remake as King Louie or in the 1998 animated adventure, Antz? Well, as the Oscar-winner revealed to Vanity Fair, he actually has a unique connection with animals, having gained some experience with lion taming while working at a traveling circus.

Simu Liu (Birthday Party Spider-Man)

When Simu Liu led the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings cast in the title role, technically, that was not his first time playing a Marvel Comics character. While on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Chinese-Canadian actor shared that he used to dress up as Spider-Man and entertain children at birthday parties.

Jennifer Lopez (Law Office Tax Return Filer)

Most people know that one of Jennifer Lopez’s earliest jobs before becoming “Jenny from the Block” was dancing with the Fly Girls on In Living Color. Yet, the Bronx Times revealed that, before even then, she spent her Saturdays at the Thomas Lavin Law Office filing tax returns.

Margot Robbie (Sandwich Artist)

From the way Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn speaks so passionately about a certain breakfast item in 2020’s Birds of Prey, you might think the Australian actor knows a thing or two about making sandwiches, and you would be correct. The Academy Award nominee spoke to Sean Evans on Hot Ones about her time as a “sandwich artist” at Subway, where she actually invented a few delicious concoctions of her own.

Terry Crews (Courtroom Sketch Artist)

A lesser-known fact about Terry Crews is that he is an exceptional drawer and even showed some of the best examples from his portfolio on Jimmy Kimmel Live. During that same visit, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast member and America’s Got Talent host recalled how he put that talent to great use by working for a television station sketching scenes from local trials in his hometown of Flint, Michigan.

Megan Fox (Smoothie Shop Banana Mascot)

One time when Megan Fox appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the actor fell prey to the host’s recurring “jump scare” gag, courtesy of a person dressed as up as a banana. The costume choice was in reference to the Transformers movies star’s first job at a smoothie shop, for which she would, sometimes, have to dress as the yellow fruit to promote the business.

Hugh Jackman (Clown)

While known best for playing very intimidating characters like Wolverine in the X-Men movies, Hugh Jackman is known to be a very funny and charming presence offscreen. It makes sense when you discover the Australian actor used to work as a clown, but would reveal to Howard Stern that his talents were limited to juggling and found entertaining children above three years old quite difficult.

Eva Mendes (Hot Dog On A Stick Vendor)

Fun fact: one of Eva Mendes’ earliest show business gigs was appearing in Will Smith’s 1998 “Miami” video before reuniting with him in Hitch seven years later. Before then, she made dough working at a “hot dog on a stick place,” which she revealed to Australia’s Will & Woody radio show (via Daily Mail) that she was actually fired from for giving an inappropriate Secret Santa gift to a coworker.

Sylvester Stallone (Girls Boarding School Dorm Bouncer)

Even if Sylvester Stallone had not written one of the best sports movies ever, 1976’s Rocky, he could have landed the title role of the aspiring boxer by his physicality alone. According to a profile by People, his jacked frame came in handy when he was 18 and started working at a Swiss boarding school to both teach gym and keep unwanted guests out of the girls dorms.

Wanda Sykes (NSA)

As one of the funniest people of her generation — and the star of one of Paramount+’s best stand-up comedy specials — it may come as a surprise to learn that Wanda Sykes used to work for an organization as serious as the National Security Agency. However, as she explained on The Rich Eisen Show, her job did not involve covert operations or filing classified material, but “buying stuff” for the office, mostly.

Chris Pratt (Coupon Salesperson) 

Before joining an insane amount of franchises (including the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies to the Jurassic World trilogy), Chris Pratt had humble beginnings as a supporting character on hit TV shows Everwood and Parks and Recreation. However, his true beginnings were even humbler, having revealed during an appearance on Conan that he once sold coupons door-to-door and did well enough to manage his own office of salespeople.

Taylor Swift (Praying Mantis Exterminator)

Years before taking on the world as a hit singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm where everyone in her family was given a different task. As she told Esquire, the star of the sensational “Eras Tour” had the job “picking praying-mantis pods off of the trees” so that customers would not have an invasion of multi-legged uninvited guests.

Brad Pitt (Chicken Restaurant Mascot)

With how many intimidating roles Brad Pitt has played, from Fight Club’s Tyler Durden to Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the last thing anyone would think to call the actor is “a chicken.” Yet, you would not have been wrong if, decades ago, you spotted him when he made a living dressed as the mascot for California chicken restaurant El Pollo Loco, as he recalled on The Ellen Show in 2019.

Cindy Crawford (Corn Shucker)

One of the most famous models of all time, Cindy Crawford, first took on that profession in Chicago when she was 17, at a rate of $1,000 per day. A profile for Town & Country mentions that the modeling gig “sure beat shucking corn for $4 an hour,” which is something she did for a summer when she was younger.

Helen Mirren (Amusement Park Blagger)

Academy Award winner Helen Mirren technically got her start as an actor by participating in the National Youth Theatre before she was invited into the Royal Shakespeare Company, but first started honing her performance skills as a “blagger” for a London amusement park. While appearing on Mark Maron’s WTF Podcast, she defined “blagging” as shouting “something incomprehensible out to someone just to get their attention.”

Taraji P. Henson (Pentagon Secretary/Tina Turner Cover Singer)

Some of Taraji P. Henson’s most famous roles, such as Shug in Hustle & Flow and Cookie (a notable TV divorcée) on Empire, are linked to the music industry — a fact that is made even more interesting when you discover she used to work on a Potomac River cruise ship singing Tina Turner covers. Per Vanity Fair, at that same time, the future Academy Award nominee’s day job was at the Pentagon as a secretary.

Steve Buscemi (Firefighter)

While not exactly a “weird” job, it is intriguing to learn that Steve Buscemi used to work as a New York firefighter before landing roles like Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs. He would later revisit this time in his both onscreen (in The King of Staten Island) and in real life when — per The Independent — he volunteered to help his old company, Engine 55, search for survivors of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.

Ken Jeong (Doctor)

After starring in 2009’s The Hangover cast and the Community cast made him a star, Ken Jeong led his own sitcom called Dr. Ken. The short-lived ABC comedy was actually based on the comedian’s previous career as an internal medicine specialist, during which he pursued comedy merely to “let off some steam,” as he shared to NPR.

Ashton Kutcher (Cereal Factory Sweeper)

Before hitting it big as Michael Kelso in the That ‘70s Show cast and, later, making innovations in the tech industry, Ashton Kutcher got his start in the cereal industry. To be more precise, as he recalled on Hot Ones, the actor swept the floors of loose Cheerios shavings at a General Mills factory.

Halsey (DMV Photographer)

As a chart-topping Grammy nominee and a non-actor who nailed her SNL hosting gig, Halsey is a person who boasts many skills but has only demonstrated a few to the public, as it turns out. She revealed in a tweet that, when she was still “Ashley Frangipane,” she worked “loads” of different jobs, but the one that caught our eye was taking “license photos at the DMV.”

Zayn Malik (Boxer)

While he did not actually make a living doing this, before competing on The X Factor and joining One Direction made Zayn Malik a star, he trained in boxing in his mid-to-late teens. In 2013, he told Daily Star (via Digital Spy) that he aspired to pursue the sport full-time at some point.

Jennifer Aniston (Bike Messenger)

As part of the Friends cast, Jennifer Aniston became one of the highest-paid actors of her time, but in her earlier years, did several odd jobs for her mother’s advertising firm. One of them, as she shared on The Tonight Show, was being a bike messenger “for a day” that she admits she decided to finish out by taking a cab for final delivery.

George Clooney (Insurance Salesman)

Despite technically growing up in a show business family (his father, Nick Clooney, is a former TV personality, and his aunt, Rosemary, acted), it took time for George Clooney to find fame of his own. According to The Standard, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker worked various low-paying jobs early on — one of which was going door-to-door, selling insurance.

Jon Hamm (Adult Film Set Dresser)

Very few A-listers would be willing to admit they worked in the adult film industry, but Jon Hamm had no problem talking to Howard Stern about it. For $100 a day, the Emmy-winning Mad Men cast member worked as a set dresser for, as he described them, “Skinemax movies.”

Amy Adams (Hooters Server)

Many people might say that they first saw Amy Adams when she appeared on The Office in its first season, but others might be able to claim she served them at Hooters. The Academy Award nominee told Entertainment Tonight that the restaurant chain gig was a “great way” to make ends meet during college before she found success as an actor.

Chris Hemsworth (Human Milk Pump Cleaner)

During a game of “True Confessions” with Kumail Nanjiani and host Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, MCU star Chris Hemsworth’s potentially false personal fact stated that he used to clean and repair human milk pumps for pharmacies to rent when he was 14. It turned out to be the truth.

Danny DeVito (Morgue Hairdresser)

An artist known for his morbid sense of humor — as he has demonstrated by his crazy moments as Frank Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and by helming movies like Duplex and Death to Smoochy — is Danny DeVito. Perhaps he got it from the several times he worked as a hairdresser for female corpses — a story he shared on The Always Sunny Podcast (via Unilad).

Channing Tatum (Exotic Dancer)

If you ever wondered how Channing Tatum learned to dance the way he does in 2012’s Magic Mike, according to an interview with Flicks and Bits, the drama was inspired by his own life before acting. In 2015, the actor recalled to Howard Stern how he started his brief exotic dancing career when he was 19 after dropping out of college.

Miley Cyrus (Undergarment Collector)

Miley Cyrus is one of the few examples on our list who actually did come from a show business family, but having a rock star like Billy Ray Cyrus as her dad also led to her first odd job. The former Hannah Montana star told Rolling Stone that, when she was much younger, her father used to pay her $10 for picking up women's undergarments that had been thrown on stage during his concerts.

Some of these jobs would make us thankful to eventually be an actor or singer if we were in any of these celebrity’s shoes. However, others sound like an interesting way to make a living.

Although both John Travolta and Katherine Heigl have both been active in Hollywood for a long time, their paths have never crossed professionally, but that will soon change. The two actors have signed on to a romantic comedy that will soon start being shopped around. Even better, this upcoming movie could end up reuniting Travolta with another member of the Pulp Fiction cast.

Travolta and Heigl are coming together for That’s Amore!, which is being put together by Palisades Park Pictures and will go on sale at the Cannes Film Festival next week. Per the official film synopsis provided by Variety, Travolta is playing Nick Venere, who’s described as “a modern day Marty,” in that “he’s never been married and his best dating years are well behind him. He’s never heard the words ‘I love you’ and figures he never will. Then in comes Heigl’s Patty Amore, who is “shy and introverted” and “filled with various tics and nervous habits.” Those things, along with the combination of her father’s overprotectiveness and “a secret from her past” have resulted in her not dating anymore.

So clearly there are a lot of issues between the two of them, but when Nick and Patty literally bump into each other, the sparks will immediately fly. However, since this is a rom-com, their dating will be complicated by their families getting involved, which will obviously produce hilarity. Green Book’s Nick Vallelonga is directing That’s Amore!, and additionally, it was reported that Christopher Walken is in talks to join the flick. If I had to guess, he’s presumably up for the role of Patty’s father. Along with him and Travolta both starring in Pulp Fiction (although they didn’t share any screen time), they also worked together on 2007’s Hairspray.

In addition to the aforementioned talent, the crew working on That’s Amore! Includes includes cinematographer Dante Spinotti, production designer Gianni Quaranta, editor Steven Rosenblum and costume designer Besty Heimann, as well as David Polemeni, Tamara Birkemoe and Mark Damon all executive producing. Filming is expected to begin this August. We’re a long ways off from even speculating about if this will go down as one of the best romantic comedies of all-time, but it will be interested to see how John Travolta and Katherine Heigl do leading a movie together. Travolta also has American Metal set to come out later this year and Cash Out at a yet-to-be-revealed date. This will be Heigl’s first movie since 2021’s Fear of Rain, but she did recently star in the drama series Firefly Lane, which can be viewed with a Netflix subscription.

Time will tell which studio will end up distributing That’s Amore! and when it will be released, but for now, get the lay of this year’s cinematic land by looking over the 2023 new movie releases. 

Never has a series made us look so intensely at the work/life balance than Severance, the satirical sci-fi thriller about four employees of the mega-corporation, Lumon, who have had their brains physically altered to keep their professional and private lives separate. Season 1 introduced us to Mark (Adam Scott leading an impressive cast) and the rest of the Microdata Refinement department — Helly, Dylan, and Irving — who started to realize there was more going on than they had ever thought to question. The Severance ending left us with a huge cliffhanger that set the MDR workers and their Outies up for big changes in Season 2. Let’s break down what happened.

The MDR workers became increasingly suspicious about the mysterious Lumon company over Season 1’s nine episodes. It all came to a head when Dylan’s Innie was woken up in the outside world, which they hadn’t previously known was possible. It didn’t take the MDR employees long to figure out how to do it for themselves, and a plan was set in place to expose what Lumon was doing to them, and learn more about the other half of their lives in the process. So where did Severance Season 1 leave our friends in the MDR?

Dylan Learns His Outie Has More Children

The event that set their whole plan in motion was Dylan (Zach Cherry) learning that he had a son on the outside. He became desperate to find out more about his family, but volunteered to stay behind and hold the two switches that keep his colleagues awake so they could learn about their Outies and send help. He was able to give Mark, Helly, and Irv about an hour in the outside world until their supervisor, Milchick (Tramell Tillman), caught wind of what was happening. 

In trying to get Dylan to let go of the switches, Milchick revealed that Dylan’s Outie had three children, and he said he’d tell him their names if Dylan opened the door. He didn’t take the bait, but Milchick eventually broke through, tackling the worker and thus putting the Innies back to sleep. What will Dylan do now that he knows he has three children? The microdata refiner had always been happy to collect finger traps and waffle parties — a perk so strange even Stephen King was talking about it — as rewards for his work, but in Season 2 he’s not going to be so easily satisfied.

Mark Discovers His Wife Is Still Alive, And His Innie Knows Her

Despite a number of frustrating interruptions, Mark (Adam Scott) was able to give his sister, Devon, a whole Lumon briefing, including revealing Mrs. Selvig’s (Patricia Arquette) true identity. She, in turn, was able to explain that Mark had chosen to take a severed job to escape the pain of losing his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman). At the very end of the episode, Mark found their wedding picture and recognized his wife as Ms. Casey, the wellness counselor from Lumon. He let out an absolutely primal scream of, “She’s alive!” just as his Outie was awoken. Scott spoke to Variety about what finding that photo meant for Mark:

That’s going to be a game-changer for Mark in Season 2, as he’ll no longer be the obedient Lumon employee he was before and will certainly be on the hunt for answers — and his wife. Did Devon hear what Innie Mark said about Gemma, and what will her and Outie Mark’s next moves be?

Helly Publicly Accuses Lumon Of Abuse

A double agent lurked amongst the MDR department — except Helly (Britt Lower) wasn’t aware of her Outie’s identity. Helly was actually Helena Eagan, daughter of the Lumon CEO, Jame, and granddaughter of cult-like leader, Kier, who severed herself to build public support for widespread legalization of the procedure. That explains why Helly’s Outie so quickly rejected her resignation request and why the board reacted so harshly to Cobel not disclosing Helly’s suicide attempt.

Rather than taking the stage to promote severance’s benefits, Helly exposed herself as an Innie to the crowd of potential investors, saying the employees were being tortured, and everything the Eagans had told them about severance was a lie. A Lumon employee tackled her to stop her from saying more, but it’s hard to believe that her actions won’t have some kind of ramifications for her family's already-controversial procedure.

Irving Tracks Down Burt Outside Of Lumon

Irving (The Batman’s John Turturro) woke up to find that his Outie obsessively paints the dark hallway to Lumon’s “training floor,” where Gemma/Ms. Casey has been. That possibly explained why Irv hallucinated black paint when he nodded off at work. (Was that intentional on his Outie’s part, given how much coffee Outie Irving drank?) Irving also learned that his Outie had been tracking down retired Lumon employees, including Innie Irv’s forbidden crush, Burt (Christopher Walken). 

Irving drove over to Burt’s house and after seeing him with another man, began to bang on the door, shouting Burt’s name. His Outie was awoken before Burt could open the door, but what will Season 2 reveal? Do Burt and Irving have a relationship on the outside? How does Irv (both his Innie and Outie) know about the training floor?

A second season of Severance has mercifully already been ordered for Apple TV+, and creator Dan Erickson discussed with Variety how they approached the Season 1 finale in hopes of setting up new stories for Season 2:

I think they certainly succeeded in doing that, and they left us with a ton of questions about what will happen to our four heroes as the Innies face the consequences of their actions within Lumon, and with the people around the Outies being a little wiser to Lumon’s ways. While we wait on a release date for the second season, make sure your Apple TV+ subscription is up to date, and check out some of the other best shows on Apple TV+.

It took less than a week for Dune: Part 2 to get the green light following the blockbuster theatrical release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and it allowed the fanhood of the beloved sci-fi franchise to breathe a powerful sigh of relief. We no longer had to worry that the 2021 movie would never have a counterpart to complete the adaptation of author Frank Herbert’s seminal novel, and could focus all attention on simply getting hyped for the sequel. Thankfully, the production has made this extra easy with some tremendously exciting casting announcements in recent months.

Obviously there are a lot of stars from the first Dune who will be reprising their roles in Dune: Part 2, but there are also a number of new big names who have signed on – and we’ve built this feature in the aim of highlighting all of them. It feels logical to start with the former group, so let’s start by talking about the actor who will be back to play the central protagonist in the sequel…

Timothée Chalamet

The journey of Paul Atreides has only just begun. In Denis Villeneuve’s Dune we see the prince-adjacent character see his life essentially go up in flames – his family and clan moving to a new planet before being all but wholly annihilated – and Dune: Part 2 will see him attempt to stop the evil forces of House Harkonnen and Emperor Shaddam IV. Timothée Chalamet is back to star in the sequel, having completed work on Paul King’s upcoming Wonka while waiting for production on the sci-fi epic to start filming.

Rebecca Ferguson

Paul Atreides isn’t totally alone after the fall of House Atreides, as at the very least he still has the protection and companionship of his mother, Lady Jessica. While Paul learns the ways of the Fremen in Dune: Part 2, Jessica will continue to teach him in the ways of the Bene Gesserit – hoping that her boy will achieve what has been prophesized. Rebecca Ferguson, who delivers a brilliant performance in Dune, has been busy recently filming the new Mission: Impossible movies, but she will be reuniting with Denis Villeneuve for the sequel.

Zendaya

While her role in Dune was heavily publicized, Zendaya really doesn’t have very much screen time in the sci-fi blockbuster… but that is something that is very much going to change in Dune: Part 2. After being the literal girl of Paul’s dreams, Chani is now very much a part of his life, and the two of them will grow very close in the next chapter of this epic story – working together to try and save Arrakis from the evil forces that which to control and exploit it. Outside of the Dune franchise, Zendaya is best known for playing MJ in the MCU Spider-Man movies and her HBO series Euphoria.

Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem is very much in the same boat as Zendaya where Dune is concerned. He has some notable scenes as Stilgar in the film, but the vast majority of them aren’t until the very end. That will change in a big way with Dune: Part 2, as a huge part of the movie will be Paul and Jessica becoming acclimated in Fremen culture, and that’s a world where Stilgar stands up as leader.

Josh Brolin

By the time the third act rolls around in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, audiences don’t know the fate of Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck. The character is featured trying to lead men in the fight back against the invasion of House Atreides on Arrakis, but the movie doesn’t feature a definitive scene that reveals his status. As such, this might be a bit of a spoiler… but Gurney Halleck is indeed alive, and he will be back in Dune: Part 2 once again played by Brolin.

Stellan Skarsgard

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is one of the most iconic villains in the history of the science-fiction genre, and Stellan Skarsgård does a brilliant job with his performance in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. He’s not in terrific shape at the end of the movie, as he is healing from the last-ditch effort attack by Duke Leto Atreides, but he is very much alive, and he is ready to bring the hammer down on Arrakis in Dune: Part 2 now that his enemies have been cleared off the board (or so he thinks).

Dave Bautista

Serving as one of Baron Harkonnen’s primary agents of cruelty in Dune: Part 2 will be Glossu “Beast” Rabban, played by the terrific Dave Bautista. The actor has just recently wrapped filming on another sci-fi epic – namely James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – but he’s surely excited to once again work with Denis Villeneuve, with whom he collaborated on Blade Runner 2049 before they came together on Dune.

Austin Butler

Denis Villeneuve admitted in November 2021 that Feyd-Rautha was purposefully left out of Dune so that the character could have a “more elegant” introduction, and the actor who has landed the sought after role is Austin Butler – the star of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Butler joined the cast of Dune: Part 2 in March 2022, and he will star in the sequel as a kind of counterpart to Dave Bautista’s Glossu Rabban. While “Beast” is all about brutality and strength, Feyd-Rautha is a villain who relies on intelligence and cunning (though, like every Harkonnen, at the end of the day he is a terrifying sadist).

Florence Pugh

Preceding the casting news about Austin Butler in Dune: Part 2 by just two days was the announcement that Florence Pugh has signed on to play a key part in the ensemble. She will be playing Princess Irulan in the hotly anticipated sequel, and without giving away too much to those of you who haven’t read the book, it may be a role that stirs up some controversy when the film hits theaters. The movie will provide a second opportunity for Pugh and Timothée Chalamet to work together, as they both previously starred in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women.

Christopher Walken

Fresh off his acclaimed performance in the AppleTV+ original series Severance, Christopher Walken is joining the Dune franchise – but he’s not just headed into space; he’s going to be running the whole show. It was reported in early May 2022 that Walken has signed on to play the role of Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune: Part 2. Presumably the movie will dig more into the relationship between the Emperor and House Harkonnen, who conspired to try and decimate House Atreides on Arrakis.

Léa Seydoux

Léa Seydoux has gotten a lot of blockbuster experience in recent years starring in the last two James Bond movies starring Daniel Craig, and she'll keep her run of big films going with a key role in Dune: Part 2. As was first reported in June 2022, she will be playing Margot Fenring, a member of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood whose husband Count Hasimir Fenring is a close friend an ally of Emperor Shaddam IV.

Souheila Yacoub

In July 2022, it was reported by Deadline that Souheila Yacoub has joined the Dune: Part 2 cast. In the blockbuster sequel she will be playing Shishakli – a member of the Fremen who notably provides Paul Atreides with the hooks for riding sandworms. It's not a particularly massive role, but it's an interesting casting choice given that the character in the book is a man.

Tim Blake Nelson

Tim Blake Nelson is one of Hollywood's most gifted character actors, perhaps best known for his delightful role in Joel and Ethan Coen's O Brother Where Art Thou, and he was revealed as a member of the cast of Dune: Part 2 in January 2023. Unfortunately, reports about him being in the movie did not include details about the part he will be playing (and he hasn't been featured in any of the film's trailers). It's one of two major franchise gigs that Nelson has going right now, as he is also set to reprise his role as Dr. Samuel Sterns in Marvel's upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.

Set to arrive in theaters almost exactly two years after its predecessor arrived on the big screen, Dune: Part 2 will be released on March 1, 2024. You can consult our 2024 Movie Release Calendar to find all of the new films that keep you distracted and not thinking about the long wait for the sequel.

Shortly after Denis Villeneuve’s Dune opened in theaters and for HBO Max subscribers over one-month period, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures decided to move forward with Dune 2, a.k.a. Dune: Part Two. In other words, Villeneuve will get to complete his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s original novel, as opposed to the overall story being left hanging halfway through. With this next Dune movie will come some new faces, among which will be Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV.

As shared by THR, Christopher Walken has signed on to be part of Dune 2’s ensemble cast. He’s the third newcomer who’s been revealed for the follow-up movie so far, as Black Widow’s Florence Pugh is reportedly attached to play Princess Irulan, the Emperor’s daughter, while Elvis’ Austin Butler is on deck as Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen’s younger nephew.

Without going into specific spoilers for those who haven’t read the Dune novel and want to go into Dune 2 as fresh as possible, Emperor Shaddam IV, who was briefly mentioned in the first movie, is the ruler of the known universe in Frank Herbert’s mythology. It was the Emperor who tasked House Atreides with taking custody of Arrakis from the Harkonnens, but secretly, he was plotting with Baron Harkonnen to eliminate the Atreides family and their allies due to Duke Leto Atreides’ growing popularity. With Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) now dead, Dune 2 will see the Emperor and the Baron dealing with the rebellion of Arrakis’ native Fremen led by Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who escaped being killed alongside his mother, Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica.

Emperor Shaddam IV was previously played by José Ferrer in David Lynch’s Dune movie and Giancarlo Giannini in the 2000 Dune miniseries. While Christopher Walken doesn’t have any prior direct ties to the Dune property, there is a fun fact worth addressing. Walken starred in the music video for the 2001 Fatboy Slim song “Weapon of Choice,” and one of its lyrics is, “If you walk without rhythm, you won't attract the worm.” That line is lifted from Dune, referring to the proper way to to ride atop one of Arrakis’ gigantic sandworms. Funny how things turned out for Walken over two decades later.

In addition to Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson, Dune 2 will also see the return of Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Dave Bautista in their respective roles. Zendaya’s Chani and Bardem’s Stilgar will have bigger roles this time around, and Brolin is so jazzed about appearing in Dune 2 that he had his publicist make sure it was listed among his upcoming credits on IMDB. Filming is set to begin in Budapest this summer, and along with directing, Denis Villeneuve co-wrote the script with Jon Spaihts.

Dune 2 is slated to come out on October 20, 2023, and in addition to the Dune mythology expanding through an HBO Max prequel series called Dune: The Sisterhood, Denis Villeneuve has expressed interest in making a Dune: Messiah movie to round out his run on the property. If you’re in the mood to re-watch 2021’s Dune or see it for the first time, it’s back on HBO Max.

Since people were first able to sign up for an Apple TV+ subscription in November 2019, the streaming service has released some pretty amazing shows like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Servant, to name only a few. And, as time goes by, the list of great original series only continues to get better and better, thanks in part to shows like the platform’s latest addition: Severance. 

Directed by Ben Stiller, this workplace psychological drama about a group of people who can’t remember what happens in the office once they leave and have no memories of the outside world when they clock-in each day. This promising story is only made better thanks to the impressive Severance cast, which features some heavy hitters. But, in the event you’ve forgotten where you’ve seen them before, worry not, because we’re about to break it down…

Adam Scott (Mark)

Leading the Severance cast is Adam Scott, who takes on the role of Mark, the mild-mannered team lead whose life is thrown out of whack when a former coworker finds him in the outside world, a colleague he does not remember.

Scott has long been a fixture of the small screen, having appeared on shows like Party of Five, Eastbound & Down, Big Little Lies, Parks and Recreation, and Party Down, which is set for a revival in the near future. His film work is just as impressive, with titles like The Aviator, Step Brothers, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (also directed by Ben Stiller), and Krampus.

Britt Lower (Helly)

Stepping in as Helly, the new hire who joins Mark and the rest of his mysterious coworkers who underwent the same operation to divide their memory into two-halves, is Britt Lower, who has been in quite a few movies and TV shows since bursting onto the scene in 2010.

Throughout her career, Lower has shown up on series like Man Seeking Woman, Unforgettable, Casual, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and High Maintenance, a.k.a. one of the best HBO shows that ended way too early. During that same stretch of time, Lower has appeared in movies like Domain, Holly Slept Over, Mr. Roosevelt, and Sisters.

Patricia Arquette (Harmony Cobel)

Taking on the role of Harmony Cobel, Mark’s domineering boss, on Severance is Patricia Arquette, who brings a unique blend of drama, humor, and awkwardness to the Apple TV+ series. 

A Tony Award away from having an EGOT, Arquette has given commanding performances in movies like Boyhood, True Romance, Fast Food Nation, and Holes. Those roles would be enough to earn Arquette a place on the list of best actresses of the past 35 years, but her work on the small screen only makes that idea much stronger. Over the years, Arquette has led series like The Act, Escape at Dannemora (also directed by Ben Stiller), Boardwalk Empire, and Medium, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award and countless nominations throughout the shows’ seven-season run. 

John Turturro (Irving)

John Turturro shows up in the Severance cast as Irving, a rather pretentious member of Mark’s team and one who also has a divided memory that prevents him from remembering his life outside of the office and the other way around.

Prior to landing a role on the new Apple TV+ series, Turturro found a great deal of success with various film and projects as well as some impressive stage productions (both on and off Broadway). Starting with his TV contributions, Turturro has appeared on The Plot Against America, The Night Of, Monk, and The Bronx Is Burning, to name just a few. The longtime Coen brothers collaborator has given memorable performances in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, and Barton Fink. Other film appearances include Mr. Deeds, Gloria Bell, and The Color of Money. 

Christopher Walken (Burt)

Next up is Christopher Walken, who appears on the Severance cast as Burt, Mark’s quirky coworker, the latest in a long line of unique characters played by the one-of-a-kind actor.

Arguably the most prolific actor in the entire Severance cast, Walken has given memorable performances in everything from gritty, Academy Award-winning war movies like The Deer Hunter to Stephen King adaptations like The Dead Zone, to some of the best movies of the ‘90s like Pulp Fiction and True Romance, and just about every other type of film. Hell, he’s even been a part of some of the best Saturday Night Live moments, despite never being in the cast.

Zach Cherry (Dylan)

Taking on the role Dylan, one of Mark’s competitive coworkers on Severance, is Zach Cherry, who fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will immediately recognize as soon as he starts screaming with that signature high-pitched voice.

But, in case you need a little reminder, Cherry plays the street vendor who yells out to Spider-Man to get him to do a flip in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Cherry would also later appear in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings bus scene taking on the role of the vlogger documenting the badass fight. Outside of the MCU, Cherry has voiced characters on Duncanville, shown up on Succession and Crashing, and the first season of Search Party.

Tramell Tillman (Milchick)

Tramell Tillman shows up on the Severance cast as Milchick, the always smiling security guard who can usually be found standing not too far from Harmony Cobel or walking around with that oh so creepy optimism.

If you are a fan of the Epix drama series, Godfather of Harlem, then you will most likely recognize Tillman as Bobby Robinson. If not, then you have probably seen him on Difficult People, Dietland, or Hunters. He also had a one-off role on Elementary, for all those diehard fans out there.

Yul Vazquez (Petey)

Taking on the role of Petey, Mark’s former colleague who approaches him in the outside world and opens his mind to the true nature of their profession on Severance, is the veteran film and TV actor Yul Vazquez.

Throughout his career, which goes back to an episode of Tales from the Crypt in 1992, Vasquez has landed roles on some of the best and most-watched shows of the past 30 years, including Seinfeld (he played Bob The Intimidating Gay Guy in three episodes), The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Good Wife, Narcos: Mexico, The Outsider, and Russian Doll. Over on the film side of things, Vasquez has popped up in Bad Boys II, American Gangster, Traffic, O.G., and dozens of other movies.

Jenn Tullock (Devon)

The Severance cast also includes several characters who aren’t part of the the program where their memories are divided into two halves, and one of those is Mark’s supportive sister Devon, played by Jen Tullock.

Throughout her career, Tullock has landed roles on shows like The Coop, Bless This Mess, Door No. 1, Disengaged, and even Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has also completed a great deal of film work over the years as well, including 2019 comedy-drama, Before You Know It, which she co-wrote with director and co-star Hannah Pearl Utt.

Dichen Lachman (Ms. Casey)

Taking on the role of Ms. Casey, another employee of Mark’s mysterious and downright unethical company, is Dichen Lachman, another star of the new Apple TV+ series who has made their mark on the small screen.

Throughout her career, which goes back to a 106-episode run on the Australian soap opera Neighbours, Lachman has shown up on Dollhouse, Hawaii Five-0, The League, Last Resort, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Shameless, Supergirl, Altered Carbon, and Animal Kingdom, and that is just including some of the more well-known shows she’s been on over the years. Her film work, which is not as extensive as her list of credits on TV looks to be on the up-and-up, with appearances in Bad Therapy, Too Late, and Raya and the Last Dragon. And, it looks like this is just the beginning, as she is set to appear in the forthcoming Jurassic World: Dominion.

Michael Chernus (Rickon)

Rounding out the main portion of Severance cast is Michael Chernus, who takes on the role of Rickon, Mark’s pretentious, know-it-all writer brother-in-law in the outside world.

Just like with Zach Cherry up above, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will recognize Chernus from his appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, in which he played Phineas Mason, a.k.a. Tinker, the man behind most of Vulture’s big bad gadgetry. Sticking with his film contributions, Chernus has appeared in movies like The Messenger, Love & Other Drugs, The Bourne Legacy, Captain Phillips, Mistress America, and tons of other film projects. His work on the small screen includes Nurse Jackie, Orange is the New Black, Manhattan, Easy, Tommy, and most recently, Prodigal Son.

Well, this just about covers all the main actors who appear in Severance, but with a premise as promising and expansive as the one found in Ben Stiller's latest project, expect some surprises throughout the show's nine-episode run. If you want to know what else is coming to the small screen while you wait for new episodes to drop, take a quick glance at CinemaBlend's rundown of all the new and returning shows on the 2022 TV schedule. 

While Reservoir Dogs turned Quentin Tarantino into a hot, up-and-coming filmmaker, Pulp Fiction, his sophomore film, paved the way for the director to become one of the most adored (and controversial) storytellers in Hollywood. With its inventive non-linear structure, endlessly quotable lines, and a number of iconic performances from John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, and Samuel L. Jackson, it's no wonder that the endlessly cool classic is one of the most beloved movies of all-time — let alone the '90s. Now that we're only a few short years away from its 30th anniversary, what's the Pulp Fiction cast working on now? Let's find out!

John Travolta (Vincent Vega)

As Vincent Vega, a cool, long-haired hitman, John Travolta is the protagonist (such as there is one) of 1994's acclaimed masterwork, Pulp Fiction. First rising to fame through Welcome Back, Kotter, John Travolta transitioned into stardom through his acclaimed Oscar-nominated performance in Saturday Night Fever, as well as his lead roles in Grease, Urban Cowboy, Blow Out, and the Look Who's Talking movies. Pulp Fiction's Oscar-nominated role rejuvenated the actor's fledgling career, resulting in him starring in Get Shorty (for which he won a Golden Globe), Face/Off, Primary Colors, Broken Arrow, and Wild Hogs. His other famous (and infamous) film credits include Battlefield Earth, Swordfish, Hairspray (2007), Old Dogs, The General's Daughter, The Punisher, From Paris With Love, The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), Gotti, Bolt, and The Fanatic.

Additionally, on television, John Travolta won an Emmy for producing The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, where he also played Robert Shapiro. Most recently, Travolta starred in Quibi's Die Hart. The actor also played Santa Claus in a Capital One commercial. Currently, Travolta is filming Paradise City, which will also star Bruce Willis.

Samuel L. Jackson (Jules Winnfield)

In the role of Jules Winnfield, a self-righteous hitman working alongside Vincent Vega, Samuel L. Jackson became a household name playing the deuteragonist in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. He was Oscar-nominated for this foul-mouthed, star-making performance. He would later reunite with Quentin Tarantino with Jackie Brown, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight. His other film credits include Do the Right Thing, Jurassic Park, True Romance, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Shaft (2000), Goodfellas, Hard Eight, Coming to America, The Negotiator, Eve's Bayou, Snakes on a Plane, School Daze, and Unbreakable. Additionally, Jackson played Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels and Nick Fury in the MCU. He also voices Frozone in The Incredibles movies.

Most recently, Samuel L. Jackson starred in Spiral: From the Book of Saw and The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. He also reunited with John Travolta for a Capital One commercial. Next, the A-list actor reprises his role as Nick Fury in What If...? and Secret Invasion. Also, Jackson will be seen in The Protege and heard in Blazing Samurai.

Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace)

Playing the part of Mia Wallace, Marsellus Wallace's mysterious, drug-addled wife, Uma Thurman was the female lead in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Outside of this Oscar-nominated performance, Thurman starred in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. She also starred in Dangerous Liaisons, Gattaca, The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Henry & June, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Thurman's other notable film credits include Batman & Robin, Les Miserables (1998), The Avengers (1998), The House That Jack Built, Nymphomaniac, The Producers (2005), Paycheck, Sweet and Lowdown, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. She also reunited with John Travolta for Be Cool.

Outside of film, Uma Thurman played main characters in NBC's The Slap and Netflix's Chambers. Her other TV credits include Imposters and Smash, the latter for which she was Emmy-nominated. She also won a Golden Globe for HBO's Hysterical Blindness. Most recently, Thurman played a supporting role in The War with Grandpa. Next, she'll be seen in Hollywood Stargirl. Currently, Thurman is filming Apple TV+'s Suspicion. She's also signed on to star in Tau Ceti Four.

Harvey Keitel (Winston Wolfe)

As Winston Wolfe, a professor cleaner who tidies up other people's messes, Harvey Keitel plays a sharp-dressed character in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Prior to this performance, Keitel worked with Tarantino on Reservoir Dogs, which he co-produced. He also starred in Bad Lieutenant, Blue Collar, Mean Streets, The Piano, and Cop Land. Additionally, Keitel was Oscar-nominated for Bugsy. His other big film credits include Thelma & Louise, The Last Temptation of Christ, Taxi Driver, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Red Dragon, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Youth, Sister Act, Clockers, Get Shorty, U-571, Little Nicky, Little Fockers, The Congress, National Treasure, Isle of Dogs, and The Irishman.

Additionally, on TV, Harvey Keitel starred in ABC's Life on Mars. He also appeared in N.Y.P.D., Kojak, Hogan's Heroes, Amazing Stories, Dark Shadows, and Inside Amy Schumer. Most recently, Keitel starred in Lansky and Blood on the Crown. Last year, the actor appeared in The Painted Bird and Fatima. Next, he'll be seen in Gandhi of the Month, The Baker, Unto the Sun, The Legitimate Wiseguy, and Live Fast, Die Laughing.

Tim Roth (Ringo/"Pumpkin")

In the role of Ringo, i.e. "Pumpkin," a small-time stick-up artist, Tim Roth plays a supporting antagonist in Pulp Fiction. Prior to this performance, Roth appeared in Reservoir Dogs. Later, the actor reunited with Quentin Tarantino with Four Rooms and The Hateful Eight. Most notably, Roth was Oscar-nominated for his supporting turn in Rob Roy. Additionally, his other film credits include Vincent & Theo, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Gridlock'd, Everyone Says I Love You, Planet of the Apes (2001), The Incredible Hulk, Youth Without Youth, Hardcore Henry, Selma, Funny Games (2008), Invincible, The Musketeer, The Hit, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover.

Additionally, on television, Tim Roth starred in Fox's Lie to Me and Sky Atlantic's Tin Star. Outside of acting, Roth directed The War Zone. Most recently, the actor had a supporting role in The Misfits. He also stars in Bergman Island, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Next, Roth will be seen in The Jesuit. He'll also appear in Punch. Additionally, Roth reprises his role as Emil Blonsky/Abomination in Disney+'s She-Hulk.

Bruce Willis (Butch Coolidge)

Playing the part of Butch Coolidge, an over-the-hill boxer who agrees to lose a match for a bride from Marsellus Wallace, Bruce Willis was a protagonist in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Following his two-time Emmy-nominated role in ABC's Moonlighting, Willis became an action superstar for his portrayal of John McClane in Die Hard, spanning a film franchise. Additionally, he's known for starring in 12 Monkeys, The Sixth Sense, The Fifth Element, Hudson Hawk, Sin City, Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, Tears of the Sun, Unbreakable, Looper, RED, and RED 2. Also, the A-list actor was seen in Moonrise Kingdom, Cop Out, The Expendables, The Last Boy Scout, Planet Terror, Four Rooms, The Siege, Surrogates, Four Room, and Glass, reuniting him with Samuel L. Jackson.

Most recently, Bruce Willis was seen in Cosmic Sin. Next, he'll appear in Out of Death, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Reactor, Apex, American Siege, Gasoline Alley, The Fortress, Soul Assassin, and A Day to Die. Currently, Willis is filming Paradise City. Also, the actor is signed on to appear in Killing Field, White Elephant, and Hair of the Dog.

Amanda Plummer (Yolanda/"Honey Bunny”)

As Yolanda, i.e. "Honey Bunny," Pumpkin's small-thief girlfriend, Amanda Plummer plays a supporting antagonist in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Most notably, Plummer won a Tony for her 1982 performance in Agnes of God. Furthermore, she was Tony-nominated for 1981's A Taste of Honey and 1987's Pygmalion. Her other notable film credits include The Fisher King, Joe Versus the Volcano, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, A Simple Wish, The Prophecy, Needful Things, The World According to Garp, Made in Heaven, Freejack, and So I Married an Axe Murder. Moreover, Plummer is heard in Hercules.

Additionally, on television, Amanda Plummer won an Emmy for her supporting turn in NBC's Miss Rose White. Furthermore, she won two additional Emmys for her guest performances in The Outer Limits and Law & Order: SVU. Plummer was also Emmy-nominated for L.A. Law. Most recently, the actress played a recurring role in Netflix's Ratched. She also appeared in Night Raiders, which recently premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. Currently, Plummer is filming Kelly Reichardt's Showing Up.

Ving Rhames (Marsellus Wallace)

In the role of Marsellus Wallace, the boss of Vincent, Jules, and Butch, Ving Rhames takes on a powerful personality in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Outside of this performance, Rhames is known for his recurring part in the Mission: Impossible movies — the only other actor besides Tom Cruise to appear in all six. Additionally, Ving Rhames is recognized for Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Entrapment, Out of Sight, Jacob's Ladder, Striptease, and Dawn of the Dead (2004). His other notable film credits include Baby Boy, Dave, The People Under the Stairs, Native Son, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Blood In Blood Out, Dark Blue, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Piranha 3D, and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. Also, Rhames is the voice of Cobra Bubble in Lilo & Stitch.

Additionally, on television, Ving Rhames was Emmy-nominated for his title role in HBO's Don King: Only in America. The character actor also appeared in Kojak, The District, and ER. Next, Rhames will reprise his role as Luther Stickell in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8.

Rosanna Arquette (Jody)

Playing the part of Jody, Lance's wife, Rosanna Arquette has a minor role in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Away from this film, Arquette was Emmy-nominated for her work in NBC's The Executioner's Song. She also received a BAFTA nomination for her supporting turn in Desperately Seeking Susan. Her other notable film credits include After Hours, Crash (1996), The Big Blue, Buffalo '66, The Whole Nine Yards, Gone Fishin', The Wrong Man, Nobody's Fool, Silverado, New York Stories, and Nowhere to Run. Additionally, Arquette directed two documentaries, Searching For Debra Winger and All We Are Saying.

Furthermore, on TV, Rosanna Arquette starred in ABC's What About Brian. She also led Sideswiped and Shirley. Her other notable TV credits include Private Practice, Girls, Ray Donovan, Law & Order: SVU, Medium, Grey's Anatomy, Malcolm in the Middle, and The L Word. Most recently, Arquette had a recurring role in Netflix's Ratched. Coming up next, the actress is expected to appear in Aramingo Avenue, Not Born, and Futura Days. Additionally, Arquette will star in The Playboy Interview and The Velvet Gentlemen.

Christopher Walken (Captain Koons)

As Captain Koons, a Vietnam War veteran with a personal connection to Butch's past, Christopher Walken provides a memorable cameo in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. An acclaimed actor with over 100 film and TV credits to his name, Walken is best known for his Oscar-winning supporting turn in The Deer Hunter. Additionally, he was Oscar-nominated for Catch Me If You Can. His other notable film credits include Annie Hall, A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, The Dead Zone, Wedding Crashers, Click, Vendetta, Seven Psychopaths, Joe Dirt, and The Prophecy. Furthermore, Walken was seen or heard in The Jungle Book (2016), Antz, Irreplaceable You, Kangaroo Jack, The Stepford Wives (2004), Balls of Fury, Domino, The Rundown, Hairspray, and Blast from the Past. Also, he was at the center of Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" music video.

Most recently, Christopher Walken starred in Percy Vs. Goliath. He also appeared in The Jesus Rolls, The War with Grandpa, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Next, Walken frontlines AppleTV+'s Severance and Amazon/BBC's The Offenders. He's also expected to return for Wedding Crashers 2, with Owen Wilson.

Maria de Medeiros (Fabienne)

In the role of Fabienne, Butch Coolidge's French girlfriend, Maria de Medeiros plays a secondary character in Pulp Fiction. A Portuguese actress-singer with over 100 acting credits to her name, Medeiros is best known for her work in Adao e Eva, Midsummer Madness, The Saddest Music in the World, The Forbidden Room, Chicken with Plums, Polygraph, Henry & June, My Life Without Me, and The Killer. Additionally, the actress wrote and directed A Prince's Death and wrote, directed, and starred in April Captains. She's also helmed Our Children, Welcome to Sao Paulo, Repare Bem, Je t'aime... moi non plus: Artistes et critiques, and several short films. Outside of film, Medeiros has four albums on her discography, including 2016's The Piano's Playing the Devil's Tune.

Most recently, Maria de Medeiros was seen in Moral Order and In the Country of Last Things. Additionally, this year, the actress appeared in Ordem Moral - A Minissérie — an extension of the film. Next, she will be heard in What Spring Does with the Cherry Trees.

You can stream Pulp Fiction on HBO Max.

As detailed in the essay “The Wheel of Fortune” by Bev Vincent, Stephen King experienced a touch of creative frustration in the mid-to-late-1970s. During that period he developed a number of ideas that had issues becoming fully formed, including two novels that he ultimately abandoned. One of the ideas he wouldn’t give up on, however, was about a child killer in a small town, and a teacher struck by a psychic vision. Begun in 1976, it was a project that he put aside multiple times, changing gears to work on other material, but he kept coming back to it. Depressed and a touch desperate, King completed his first draft of the book in 1979, and it was published later that same year.

That book, titled The Dead Zone, became the first by the author to reach the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list, and it is now regarded as a favorite among not only fans, but by King as well.

As had become pattern, Hollywood was quick to act on the release. And while it took a few extra years for a movie version to get made (the fact that the initial rights holder folded its feature film division had a lot to do with that), eventually The Dead Zone came together with David Cronenberg at the helm, and Dino De Laurentiis and Debra Hill steering the ship as producers. It earned great reviews and was a box office success – but 38 years later, how has it aged, and how does it stack up compared to the book? That’s the subject of this week’s edition of Adapting Stephen King.

What The Dead Zone Is About

“Can a political assassin ever be right? And if he is, could you make him the protagonist of a novel?” As described in Stephen King’s On Writing, these are the questions at the heart of The Dead Zone. It has an atypical structure compared to the author’s other works, playing out almost episodically as it builds to its climactic finale, but by the end it answers both proposed questions with an emphatic “yes.”

Opening with a prologue, The Dead Zone introduces said protagonist, Johnny Smith, as he experiences a childhood accident during a game of ice hockey that leaves him with seemingly innocuous injuries (an incident based on an experience from King’s own youth). But while outwardly it appears that the biggest consequence is a headache and a “knotted bruise” on his forehead, the aftermath also finds the young boy occasionally having hunches that wind up being accurate about people and things in his small Maine town.

A couple years after that, in another part of the country, a traveling bible salesman named Greg Stillson kicks a dog to death when the animal gives him a less than friendly greeting as he makes some door-to-door stops.

Decades after his scary experience on the ice, Johnny Smith becomes the ordinary man that his name suggests, working as a beloved high school English teacher and falling in love with fellow educator Sarah Bracknell. Their relationship is tragically cut short, however, when Johnny drives home after a date and smashes headlong into a muscle car drag racing on the dark roads. He survives, but falls into a coma that lasts for four-and-a-half years.

When he does finally awaken, the world has moved on without him, but he also isn’t the same man: rather than just having hunches, making physical contact with another person or an item of significance results in him having psychic visions of both the present and the future. His “gift” first demonstrates itself when he is able to sense that his physical therapist’s house is on the verge of burning down after she leaves the stove on, and it further proves to be real when Johnny is able to sense that the mother of his doctor, who was separated from her son during World War II, is still alive and living in California.

Johnny struggles with the fame – as he is able to do good, such as assisting in tracking down a serial killer in the town of Castle Rock, but he is also inundated with both requests for help and hate that paints him as a slight against God. All the while, though, he is on a direct path to collide with Greg Stillson, who has graduated from being a bible salesman to becoming a politician with a destiny to end the world in nuclear holocaust.

How David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone Differs From Stephen King’s Book

In the 1980s, Dino De Laurentiis was a key conduit between Stephen King and Hollywood, producing five adaptations released between 1983 and 1985, and the relationship began with David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone. However, things got off to a bit of an odd start. As noted in “The Complete Stephen King Universe” by Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, and Hank Wagner, De Laurentiis gave the author first crack at penning the screenplay for the film when it was in development, but he ultimately rejected King’s take as being “[too] involved and convoluted.” According to the AFI Catalog, there was an expanded focus on the Castle Rock Killer storyline, and while five drafts were put together, De Laurentiis and Cronenberg opted for a different direction.

In contrast, the screenplay by Jeffrey Boam that ended up being produced is a clean and streamlined take on the book – though the process of molding the story that way does result in The Dead Zone changing key details and events. What’s featured on screen very much comes from the Stephen King novel, but with some significant cuts, swapped parts, and noteworthy alterations.

To start with what has to be one of the strangest changes made from a Stephen King book, the title itself holds different meanings in the original text and the adaptation. The movie refers to a “dead zone” as part of the protagonist’s visions – something that Dr. Sam Weizak (Herbert Lom) interprets as a suggestion that fate isn’t sealed and can be changed. How it got there from what’s in the novel, where it is a part of Johnny’s diagnosis and an explanation for his powers (he has a “dead zone” in his brain that forces other parts to overcompensate) isn’t totally clear.

A far more significant change is the presence of Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) in the story, as his part is greatly reduced in the film compared to the source material. You can understand why the movie decided not to reenact the character’s infamous introduction (King says in On Writing that his mailbox was flooded with letters complaining about his completely imaginary cruelty to animals), but also cut down are details about his abusive upbringing, his ascent in the political world, and his ruthless maneuverings to achieve power.

Martin Sheen doesn’t appear until about an hour into the 103-minute film, and is only featured in one scene not seen through the eyes of Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) – and even that bit is a more muted version of events in the book, with the murder of an FBI agent “replaced” with the blackmail of an investigative journalist.

The reduced emphasis of Greg Stillson allows for greater focus on Johnny Smith, but still there are big sections of the story that are removed. The ice hockey incident when Johnny is a kid, for example, is excised as a prologue, but then it is reconfigured later when Johnny is trying to save one of his tutoring students, Chris (Simon Craig), from a horrific fate. In the movie the psychic hero insists that the child’s father (Anthony Zerbe) cancel a planned excursion for his kid’s hockey team when he predicts that the ice is going to break, but in Stephen King’s novel Chris is a high school senior getting ready to graduate, and is saved when Johnny realizes that the location where a party is set to be held is going to be struck by lightning and burn down.

Other standout trims include Johnny winning big on a wheel of fortune carnival game while on a date with Sarah before his coma; his mother becoming a religious fanatic; and an encounter between the psychic and exploitative tabloid reporter Richard Dees, who King would later go on to feature as a main character in the short story “The Night Flier.”

Where the last significant change can be found is in the Stephen King question that initially inspired The Dead Zone and the structure of the story. Where the last significant change can be found is in the Stephen King question that initially inspired The Dead Zone and the structure of the story. Part of having Greg Stillson as a more significant presence in the book means that Johnny Smith learns of the doom the politician is destined to bring earlier in the narrative – and thus there is more time spent with the debate of whether or not the hero can morally justify an assassination. Also providing a very important wrinkle is that while Johnny learns relatively early on in the movie that his body is suffering as a result of his psychic ability, there is a suggestion at the end of the novel that an important factor driving him to pick up a gun is being diagnosed with a brain tumor and learning he has only so much time left to live.

Is It Worthy Of The King?

Stephen King has referred to The Dead Zone as being among his favorites of the plot-driven novels that he has written, and watching David Cronenberg’s movie that particular classification stands out. The structure is not just clean cut, but unambiguous, as the narrative elegantly plays out across three acts: first the introduction of Johnny Smith and how he gains his psychic abilities; followed by the heroic albeit taxing exploration of his gift; and finally his sacrifice in the name of stopping the rise of evil. And while the film trims away a lot of the material that gives the book extra flavor, it prioritizes what is captivating, emotional, and thought-provoking about the work, and that’s why it remains one of the all-time best King adaptations.

It’s a different kind of story than what audiences typically expect not only from Stephen King, but also David Cronenberg, best known for his contributions to the body horror subgenre. All the same, the filmmaker adds stylistic flourishes that make heightened scenes from the novel visceral and powerful – arguably the most iconic being Johnny surrounded by fire in his hospital room, and Frank Dodd’s masochistic suicide after being discovered as the Castle Rock Killer. The Dead Zone is more thriller than horror, but still provides exceptional terrible moments that print themselves on the backs of your eyelids.

Perhaps the most special aspect of The Dead Zone, though, is the lead performance by Christopher Walken, who beautifully embodies the character. While the actor is best known for playing more erratic personalities, what he captures so well in Johnny Smith is his everyman quality. What makes the protagonist special is that he is an ordinary individual thrust into the world of the extraordinary, and the way in which Walken carries the burden and weight of that in his turn is perfect.

The film has aged so well that it would be patently unnecessary for any filmmaker to attempt a feature remake. If there were any direction to go with a new adaptation, it would take the material into a medium with more expansive real estate, allowing for proper exploration of all the book’s plot beats as well as deeper exploration into the lives and histories of the characters. But that’s a subject and an argument that I will hold on to for a few months until it is time to explore the 2002 Dead Zone television series.

How To Watch David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone

It is beyond stupid how long it took for The Dead Zone to finally get an HD home video release, but Paramount finally put one out in September 2020 – including it as part of a Stephen King 5-Movie Collection. That release is super bare bones, though, and if you’re willing to have some patience right now you’ll soon be rewarded. Scream Factory will be releasing a special Collector’s Edition Blu-ray in July that will be packed with special features. If you’re really desperate to scratch your itch and watch the film now, it is available for both digital rental and purchase from major retailers, and is presently streaming on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Philo, Paramount+, and Epix.

For next week’s Adapting Stephen King piece I will once again be examining what happens when two Masters of Horror collide, as I’ll be doing a deep dive into John Carpenter’s Christine. You’ll find it here on CinemaBlend next Wednesday, and for now click through the banners below to explore my previous columns!

Telling the incredible true story of Frank Abagnale, a teenager who performs several cons worth millions of dollars, 2002's Catch Me If You Can features an all-star cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken, and the skilled hand of Steven Spielberg at the helm. It became one of his splashiest successes in the early 21st century, resulting in over $350 million at the box office, widespread acclaim, and two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Walken and Best Score for John Williams, respectively.

Now that it's been nearly 20 years since the film's glitzy premiere, what is the high-profile ensemble working on now? Let's take a look and find out!

Leonardo DiCaprio (Frank Abagnale)

As Frank Abagnale, our smart and sophisticated teenager who becomes an ace con artist, Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his best performances in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. A bonafide A-list movie star, DiCaprio is an Oscar-winning actor for his lead performance in The Revenant. He's also well-known for his work in Titanic, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Departed, Gangs of New York, Romeo + Juliet, The Aviator, Inception, Blood Diamond, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Great Gatsby, and Django Unchained, to name only a few titles.

Most recently, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. He also made an uncredited appearance in the mini-series, Grant, where he served as an executive producer. Next, DiCaprio is filming a role in Adam McKay's Don't Look Up. Additionally, he's expected to enter production on Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon starting in February 2021. He's also set to produce this new Scorsese joint. Furthermore, outside of acting, DiCaprio is a producer on Atari and several more upcoming movies and shows.

Tom Hanks (Carl Hanratty)

Playing the part of Carl Hanratty, a hard-nosed FBI agent tracking Frank Abagnale's unlawful trial, Tom Hanks played the second lead in 2002's Catch Me If You Can. A two-time Oscar-winning actor for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks is unquestionably one of the most famous celebrities on the planet. Some of his most notable credits include (but aren't limited to) the Toy Story movies, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Big, Splash, Captain Phillips, Cast Away, The Green Mile, The Da Vinci Code, Sleepless in Seattle, You Got Mail, A League of Their Own, Turner & Hooch, The Polar Express, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. He also wrote, directed, produced, and starred in That Thing You Do! and Larry Crowne.

Most recently, Tom Hanks starred in Greyhound, which he also wrote, and News of the World, which he also produced. Additionally, he made a cameo as himself in Amazon Prime's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Next, Hanks stars in BIOS. Currently, he's filming a role in Elvis, and he's set to play Geppetto in Robert Zemeckis' Pinocchio.

Christopher Walken (Frank Abagnale Sr.)

In the role of Frank Abagnale Sr., Frank Abagnale's father, Christopher Walken gave an Oscar-nominated performance in Catch Me If You Can. Having appeared in over 100 movies and TV programs throughout his extensive career, Walken is best known for his Oscar-winning performance in The Deer Hunter. He's also well-known for his work in Pulp Fiction, Annie Hall, A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, The Dead Zone, The Dogs of War, Vendetta, Seven Psychopaths, The Prophecy, The Jungle Book (2016), Antz, Irreplaceable You, Kangaroo Jack, The Stepford Wives (2004), Balls of Fury, Domino, The Rundown, and Blast from the Past. Additionally, Walken was famously in Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" music video.

Most recently, Christopher Walken was seen in The Jesus Rolls, The War with Grandpa, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Next, the actor stars in Percy. He's also set to frontline AppleTV+'s Severance and Amazon/BBC's The Offenders.

Martin Sheen (Roger Strong)

As Roger Strong, an attorney and Brenda's father, Martin Sheen plays a notable supporting role in 2002's Catch Me If You Can. Most notable, Sheen is known for his starring roles in Badlands, Apocalypse Now, and The West Wing. His other famous film credits include The Subject Was Roses, The Amazing Spider-Man, Gettysburg, The American President, Spawn, Dead Presidents, The Departed, O, Bobby, The California Kid, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and Catch-22 (1970). Additionally, on television, Sheen was seen in Grace and Frankie, Anger Management, Columbo, Mission: Impossible, The Streets of San Francisco, Tales from the Crypt, and Two and a Half Men.

Most recently, Martin Sheen was seen in The Devil Has a Name. The actor also reprised his role as President Josiah Bartlet for A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote. Next, Sheen will appear in Judas and the Black Messiah, which arrives February 2021 in theaters and HBO Max.  He also recently filmed a part in 12 Mighty Orphans. Additionally, he'll be seen in the seventh and final season of Netflix's Grace and Frankie later this year.

Nathalie Baye (Paula Abagnale)

Playing the part of Paula Abagnale, Frank's mother, Natalie Baye had a maternal role in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. An actress with more than 80 films on her resume, Baye is best known for her work in Tell No One, Every Man for Himself, Strange Affair, La Balance, The Young Lieutenant, Day for Night, The Assistant (2015), The Mouth Agape, The Ant Bully, Laurence Anyways, Queens of the Ring, It's Only the End of the World, Venus Beauty, and An Affair of Love.

Most recently, Nathalie Baye appeared in the dramedy film, My Best Part. She can also be seen in a recent episode of Call My Agent! Next, Baye stars in Haute Couture and Lui.

Amy Adams (Brenda Strong)

In the role of Brenda Strong, the daughter of Roger who works at the hospital and eventually earns Frank's affection, Amy Adams found one of her first high-profile parts in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. Following this early performance, Adams would go on to become a six-time Oscar-nominated actress for her leading and supporting work in Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, American Hustle, and Vice. She's also well-known for Enchanted, Arrival, Julie & Julia, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Muppets, Nocturnal Animals, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, and Talladega Night: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, as well as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Charlie Wilson's War and HBO's Sharp Objects.

Most recently, Amy Adams starred in Netflix's Hillbilly Elegy this fall. Next, she'll frontline Netflix's The Woman in the Window. Adams will also be seen in Zack Snyder's Justice League and Dear Evan Hansen. Her other upcoming titles include Disenchanted and Nightbitch, as well as the upcoming mini-series, King of America.

James Brolin (Jack Barnes)

As Jack Barnes, an associate who has an affair with Frank's mother, James Brolin plays a crucial side character in 2002's Catch Me If You Can. A two-time Golden Glob and Emmy-winning actor, Brolin can be seen in The Amityville Horror (1979), Fantastic Voyage, Westworld (1973), The Car, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Traffic, The Master of Disguise, Burlesque, The 33, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, Ted & Venus, Night of the Juggler, Capricon One, The Boston Strangler, and Gable and Lombard. His television credits include Marcus Welby M.D., Hotel, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Castle, The Reagans, Life in Pieces, Community, Pysch, Law & Order: SVU, Monk, The West Wing, Batman, and Steel Cowboy. Additionally, Brolin also directed and starred in My Brother's War, I'll Be Home For Christmas, and Royal Hearts.

Next, James Brolin will narrate Netflix's upcoming series, Sweet Tooth.

Nancy Lenehan (Carol Strong)

Playing the part of Carol Strong, Brenda's mother, Nancy Lenehan had a notable supporting role in Catch Me If You Can. Outside of this performance, Lenehan's other notable film credits include Smokey and the Bandit II, She's Having a Baby, Stoogemania, Pleasantville, Beauty Shop, A Better Life and Sex Tape. Additionally, on television, the actress can be seen in People of Earth, Grace Under Fire, My Name Is Earl, Worst Week, Veep, Married to the Kellys, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ER, Dharma & Greg, Gilmore Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, That '70s Show, Nip/Tuck, The Middle, The Bernie Mac Show, Ally McBeal, The Golden Girls, and ALF, as well as Newhart, Family Ties, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Boy Meets World, The Practice, Caroline in the City, and Just Shoot Me!

Most recently, Nancy Lenehan appeared in episodes of CBS's Man with a Plan, NBC's Superstore, ABC's Bless This Mess, and FXX's Cake.

Jennifer Garner (Cheryl Ann)

As Cheryl Ann, a model-callgirl who has an interaction with Frank Jr., Jennifer Garner made a cameo in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. Only a year before she appeared in this film, Garner headlined ABC's Alias, for which she won a Golden Globe Award. She's also known for her leading role in 13 Going On 30, as well as her work in Daredevil, Elektra, Juno, Valentine's Day, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Dallas Buyers Club, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, The Invention of Lying, Miracles from Heaven, Love Simon, Catch and Release, Mother's Day, Mr. Magoo, and Peppermint.

Most recently, Jennifer Garner appeared in Quibi's Home Movie: The Princess Bride. Next, Garner stars in Netflix's Yes Day, which she also produced. It premieres on March 12th. Currently, she's filming a role in another Netflix movie, The Adam Project. Garner is also signed on to star in AppleTV+'s mini-series, My Glory Was I Had Such Friends. Additionally, she's expected to frontline the musical comedy, Fantasy Camp.

Ellen Pompeo (Marci)

Playing the part of Marci, Ellen Pompeo found one of her earliest roles in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. Shortly following this fim's release, Ellen Pompeo's profile rose when she took on the titular role in ABC's medical drama, Grey's Anatomy. She has appeared in over 360 episodes of the long-running program. Her other TV credits include Law & Order, Strangers with Candy, Friends, Repeat After Me, Doc McStuffins, and Get Real. She was also a judge during the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.

Additionally, Ellen Pompeo can be seen in Old School, Daredevil, Art Heist, Life of the Party (2005), Undermind, Coming Soon, In the Weeds, Mambo Cafe, and Moonlight Mile. She also appeared in deleted scenes for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And the actress can be seen in Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video. Presently, Pompeo remains at the forefront of Grey's Anatomy. She also recently played Dr. Meredith Grey in an episode of Station 19.

Elizabeth Banks (Lucy)

In the role of Lucy, Elizabeth Banks plays a brief supporting role as a bank teller in 2002's Catch Me If You Can. Most notably, Banks is known for her work in The Hunger Games movies, the Spider-Man trilogy, Wet Hot American Summer, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The LEGO Movie (and sequel), Power Rangers (2017), Magic Mike XXL, Role Models, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Slither, Invincible, Love & Mercy, The Next Three Days, W., and the Pitch Perfect movies. On television, Banks received two Emmy nominations for her recurring role in 30 Rock. She also appeared in Scrubs, Modern Family, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. Additionally, Banks directed Pitch Perfect 2 and wrote and helmed Charlie's Angels (2019).

Currently, Elizabeth Banks hosts ABC's game show, Press Your Luck. Most recently, Banks was seen in FX's Miss America. Also, she appeared in Modern Family's series finale. Next, Banks is expected to star in Call Jane. Also, she's soon expected to star in and directThe Invisible Woman for Blumhouse.

You can stream Catch Me If You Can on Netflix here. You can also stream it on Showtime here and on SundanceNow here.

Warning: SPOILERS are ahead for Wild Mountain Thyme.

Two years removed from Fifty Shades of Grey’s Christian Grey, Jamie Dornan has had no shortage of exciting opportunities to work with some incredible talents and filmmakers. The 38-year-old actor most recently starred alongside Emily Blunt in Wild Mountain Thyme, in which the two neighboring farmers whose awkward relationship gets challenged by some family farm drama. And Christopher Walken’s role as Dornan’s grumpy father fuels this conflict, though it ultimately led to a pretty emotional experience that left Dornan crying during a day on set.

Wild Mountain Thyme has an all-star cast, and Jamie Dornan is a pro by now. However, getting to play off an actor as legendary as Christopher Walken was an especially memorable experience for him. When gushing about the 77-year-old Catch Me If You Can actor, Dornan shared how genuinely emotional it became on set between the two:

Jamie Dornan and Christopher Walken’s relationship in the film is a key emotional part of Wild Mountain Thyme, as Walken’s character blatantly announces in the beginning that he wouldn’t be leaving his Northern Ireland farm to his son. Dornan’s Anthony Reilly is a bumbling farmer who has some awkward tendencies. It sets the scene for an interesting conflict when Father Reilly ships in their American cousin, played by Jon Hamm.

According to Dornan’s words to The Hollywood Reporter, shooting Walken’s death scene on set was a big sob fest for him due to Walken’s convincing acting. Apparently, he just cried all day. It sounds like Dornan really loved his time working with the legendary actor, and Emily Blunt shared similar sentiments. When CinemaBlend spoke to Blunt and Dornan for the movie about her music number in the film, she shared her own emotional moment with Walken:

It certainly sounds like Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan had a blast on Wild Mountain Thyme, even if they were covered in hives for most of the shoot thanks to their allergies to livestock. The movie was written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, who previously made Doubt and Joe Versus the Volcano. However, the movie, which is based on his play Outside Mullingar, did not connect with audiences. CinemaBlend gave the film two out of five stars across an overall dismal reception from audiences.

The ending of Wild Mountain Thyme has especially been a topic of conversation since its release in December. Whether it swept you away or not, it was great to see Jamie Dornan and Christopher Walken get emotional as father and son. Wild Mountain Thyme is currently in select theaters and is also available to rent.

Potential sequels are forces of nature that can live on for years, especially if the audience really wants one. Throughout the 15 years since the debut of Wedding Crashers, the concept of a follow-up to the adventures of characters played by Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and the rest of the team from that first entry has been a persistent topic of consideration. The year 2020 has proven this more than ever, with several updates surrounding a Wedding Crashers 2 coming from not only director David Dobkin, but also through key cast members like Vince Vaughn and Isla Fisher. Now, in the latest turn of events, Jane Seymour and Christopher Walken apparently want in on a sequel as well!

Out of all the ways to find out this latest update on Wedding Crashers 2, I happened to get this information during a The War with Grandpa conversation I had with Ms. Seymour. With both Jane Seymour and Christopher Walken reunited for director Tim Hill’s chaotic new family comedy, it felt like the time was ripe to ask about the possibility of coming back for a Wedding Crashers sequel after the two were such a keen part of the original ensemble cast. That notion didn’t sound too far off, as Jane Seymour had this to say about the possibility:

How in the world could you not ask Jane Seymour to be in Wedding Crashers 2? In her role of the Cleary family matriarch, Seymour was able to make a huge mark on audiences as the raunchy Kathleen. Propositioning Owen Wilson in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, it’s a role that The War with Grandpa actor admitted she was hesitant to accept, but enjoyed playing in the long run. Even in a world where Jane Seymour can somehow be mistaken for an employee in an electronics store, she readily admits there’s bound to be people of a certain age who will ask her if she is indeed “Kitty Cat,” all thanks to one famous scene.

Part of the reason Jane Seymour sounds like she’s ready for Wedding Crashers 2 is the fact that she had so much fun playing Kathleen Cleary. But it also looks like she’s ready to reunite with Christopher Walken again, as the experience in both their on-screen marriage and their work on The War with Grandpa reminded Seymour of just how much she enjoys Walken’s style of performance. It all lead to another universal truth that Jane Seymour shared with me while reminiscing about one of her favorite co-stars, as she also revealed the universal bedrock to any good Christopher Walken role:

Both Walken and Seymour show their respective charms quite well in The War with Grandpa, as accomplices to Robert De Niro’s Ed in his family friendly fight against his grandson Peter (Oakes Feigley). Much as she’s described what makes a Christopher Walken role so fun to watch, that’s exactly the same sort of energy that makes a Jane Seymour performance enjoyable too. Mixing her own mindful personality with a firecracker attitude -- and a very dry wit -- Seymour is a vital link in the chain that strengthens The War with Grandpa’s comedy machine. With that in mind, it should not only be required that Jane Seymour and Christopher Walken be brought back for Wedding Crashers 2, it does seem to be one of the ingredients that would make the entire enterprise worth it in the end.

We’re still a ways off from confirming whether or not Wedding Crashers 2 will indeed happen, but stranger and other longer-awaited legacyquels have happened. What is certain is that Jane Seymour, and the rest of The War with Grandpa cast make for a lovable, entertaining comedy that you and your family can enjoy for the holidays. And it couldn’t be easier to get in on the fun, as the movie is now available on Digital HD, as well as Blu-ray and DVD.

It is impossible to imagine anyone other than Mark Hamill playing Luke Skywalker, or the voice of James Earl Jones not coming through Darth Vader’s helmet, or any one of your favorite Star Wars characters played by different actors. However, there exists an alternate reality in which the beloved sci-fi franchise is performed by an entirely different cast.

No, Harrison Ford was not George Lucas’ first choice to play Han Solo, Disney almost hired a young Oscar-nominee to play Rey, and DJ from Star Wars: The Last Jedi was not the first character from a galaxy far, far away that Benicio del Toro was considered for. Your interest may already be piqued now, but just you wait - very strange, these stories get.

The following is a list of eight celebrities who came close to filling the shoes of a Star Wars character. Be prepared: these are not the actors you're looking for.

Leonardo DiCaprio Could Have Played Anakin Skywalker

Whether you are a hater or a defender of Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of a pre-Vader Anakin Skywalker, you may have a whole new perspective on the Star Wars prequels once you learn that Leonardo DiCaprio was among George Lucas’ initial choices to succeed the role from Jake Lloyd in Attack of the Clones. According to an interview with The Short List, the actor claims that he did have a meeting with Lucas about the but felt that he was not “ready to take that dive.” Could the future Oscar-winner have delivered Anakin’s “I hate sand” speech to rousing perfection? Ehh.

Saoirse Ronan Could Have Played Rey

These days, Saoirse Ronan is an indie film queen, but there was a time when she almost became the face of Disney’s Star Wars trilogy. The then 19-year-old confirmed to Empire in 2013 that she did read for the role of Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in an audition that apparently included wielding a pretend lightsaber, but the part of the lonely junker-turned-Jedi would go onto British actress Daisy Ridley. While it is a relief that Ronan was able to save 2017 and 2019 for Oscar-nominated roles in director Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Little Women, I think I could get used to the idea of Rey with an Irish accent.

Benicio del Toro Could Have Played Darth Maul

Ray Park has the pleasure of having played one of the most iconic villains the Star Wars saga in two films and even voicing him in the most recent season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but there was a time when his most famous character to date could have been the infamous Toad in Bryan Singer’s X-Men. Future Academy-Award winner Benicio del Toro had already been cast as Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, but dropped out when he learned that George Lucas had cut out much of his dialogue before eventually returning to the franchise as the talkative code breaker, DJ, in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I would say that everything worked out for the best because I cannot imagine Darth Maul with a stutter would have had the same effect.

Tupac Shakur Could Have Played Mace Windu

Samuel L. Jackson is one of the top reasons why some people still watch the Star Wars prequels, but, apparently, George Lucas’ first choice to play Jedi Master Mace Windu was Tupac Shakur. According to an interview with 2-Pac Forum, former Death Row Records engineer Rick Clifford claimed that the late rapper told him he was reading for the part in what would be 1999’s The Phantom Menace which, despite his murder in 1996 (roughly a year before the film began shooting), sounds impossible to make up. Coincidentally, Shakur’s Juice co-star, Jackson, would go on to play Windu, and help him acquire the only purple lightsaber in the saga’s history, but one can only imagine how getting a Star Wars role would have affected his all-too brief acting career.

Christopher Walken Could Have Played Han Solo

There is a Saturday Night Live sketch in which Christopher Walken (played by Kevin Spacey) auditions to play Han Solo, poking fun at how silly the pilot of the Millennium Falcon would be if played by the famously kooky actor instead of Harrison Ford. Well, as it turns out, the joke is really on us because the Oscar-winner was, apparently, one of George Lucas' top choices to play the scruffy Nerf Herder in 1977's Star Wars. However, as fate intended, Walken turned down the role for Woody Allen's Annie Hall, but had he accepted, we might be living in a world in which there are more bad Han Solo impersonations than Chewbacca impersonations.

Jodie Foster Could Have Played Princess Leia

Carrie Fisher was one of those actresses whom, whenever you saw her, you could not help but see her defining character: Leia Organa. That fate could have befell Jodie Foster, who declined an offer to play the Alderaanian princess in 1977’s Star Wars due to scheduling conflicts with her role as a teenage prostitute in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Had the future Academy Award-winner taken the role, the then 15-year-old’s fan appeal would have increased a hundredfold, but probably not for the same reason that many male, pubescent moviegoers in late ‘70s admired Fisher.

Orson Welles Could Have Played Darth Vader

James Earl Jones’ unmistakable voice is one of the key factors of Darth Vader’s commanding presence in Star Wars, but, according to an interview with the actor on BBC Radio, he almost did not get the role had George Lucas not deemed Orson Welles’ voice “too recognizable.” Yes, radio star and writer, director, and star of Citizen Kane was initially considered to voice the villain, which I still cannot even begin to imagine having the same impression. However, Welles’ would eventually go on able to voice a villainous character: Unicron in the 1986 animated The Transformers: The Movie.

Michael Jackson Could Have Played Jar Jar Binks

If you ever needed a reason to stop spewing hate at Ahmed Best, who played the infamously reviled Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, this bewildering piece of trivia should do the trick. Best revealed in an interview with Vice that Michael Jackson, hoped that George Lucas would cast him as the Gungan, but his request to play the role in full makeup and prosthetics (a la his zombified appearance in “Thriller”) instead of CGI lost him the part. The King of Pop’s star power might have been enough to silence Jar Jar haters for a while, at least, but, as Best adds in the interview, it is possible that Jackson would have ended up being bigger than the film itself, which might not have made Lucas very happy.

If you ask me, I would say that I am overall happy with the casting we have in the Star Wars films, but I still definitely want to see a cut of The Phantom Menace with Michael Jackson in full Jar Jar makeup. Be sure to check back for more updates from the world of Star Wars and other news in casting what-ifs here on CinemaBlend.

More cowbell! I gotta have more cowbell! Christopher Walken's music producer Bruce Dickinson kept demanding "More Cowbell" in Saturday Night Live's now iconic sketch on Blue Oyster Cult recording "(Don't Fear) the Reaper." The SNL bit became a little too popular for Walken, since he told Will Ferrell -- who co-wrote "More Cowbell" -- that the sketch has ruined his life.

In the 2000 SNL sketch, producer Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken) keeps pushing for musician Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell) to play more cowbell in "(Don't Fear) the Reaper." The random bit is dominated by episode host Christopher Walken and SNL cast member Will Ferrell, but also includes Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz, and Jimmy Fallon.

Will Ferrell is returning to host SNL this Saturday, November 23. While promoting that, Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon discussed the "More Cowbell" sketch on The Tonight Show. That's when Ferrell shared that Walken might actually be kind of annoyed with Ferrell for making him do the bit:

Heh. Yeah, if I ever meet Christopher Walken, I can't promise I wouldn't yell "Guess what? I've got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!"

It's worth noting that Will Ferrell said Christopher Walken had a little smile while he was talking about the cowbell sketch ruining his life, so he probably wasn't really that mad. Still, if you're doing a play and people start playing cowbells during curtain calls -- I can see how that would get old. Maybe stop that. We don't need Walken to snap.

Watch the "More Cowbell" sketch again below. Jimmy Fallon always did break during scenes, but I can't blame him for cracking up over Christopher Walken and Will "Muffin Top" Ferrell:

Will Ferrell hosts SNL Season 45 this Saturday night on NBC, with King Princess as musical guest. Here's hoping Christopher Walken shows up in the audience with a cowbell.

A Timeline Of The Tonight Show's Behind-The-Scenes Issues Since Jimmy Fallon Became Host

Future SNL hosts for the rest of 2019 include Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson, and the return of Eddie Murphy. Keep up with everything heading to TV in early 2020 with our handy schedule.

Christopher Walken is one of those people where you can instantly tell who they are, even if someone’s doing a barely passable imitation. With a unique voice, a bold swagger, and a glee that most others cannot match, Walken is an iconic actor whose legacy has spanned generations and not dulled one bit.

And with such a career comes a treasure trove of trivia and knowledge that would make even his biggest fans take a moment or two to ask themselves if they knew some particular points that’ll be raised. If we’re lucky, we here at CinemaBlend will be the folks to deliver some of those stump-worthy bullet points, as we’re about to go through the facts that all good Christopher Walken fans should know.

The cowbell has officially rung, so let’s get started.

When Was Christopher Walken Born?

Christopher Isn’t His Actual First Name

As the story goes, Christopher wasn’t a name he’d use professionally until he turned the formidable age of 18 years. Upon the suggestion of his friend and fellow entertainer, Monique van Vooren, he changed it to Christopher in 1964 as she thought it would make a better stage name than Ronnie. After years of stage and TV experience under his given name, Christopher Walken would take off after not too long after his big name change.

Is Christopher Walken Married?

Yes. Christopher Walken married his wife Georgianne in 1969, and the two are still married to this day. A casting director between 1990 and 2007, Georgianne has worked with her husband on two projects, 1983’s Brainstorm and 1996’s Basquiat. If there’s a record for longest marriages in Hollywood, this probably more than qualifies.

Does Christopher Walken Have Any Children?

There are no children in Christopher and Georgianne’s lives. However, the pair do have a fondness for cats. Their current pet is a feline by the name of Bowtie, with their previous cat being named Flapjack. He’s even a fan of the internet meme of Henri, le Chat Noir. So while the Walken family may not have any human children to speak of, they certainly have a fondness for fur babies.

How Many Academy Awards Has Christopher Walken Won?

Out of two nominations that he’s received, Christopher Walken has won one of the two Academy Awards he’s been considered for. Walken was nominated for both 1978’s The Deer Hunter and 2002’s Catch Me If You Can; the former nomination being the win. Walken’s portrayal of Vietnam vet Nick Chevotarevich, alongside co-stars Robert DeNiro and John Cazale, was one of the performances that helped boost his early career to stardom.

Walken Is A Huge Elvis Fan

Ever since his teenage years, Christopher Walken has been a huge fan of Elvis Presley. As the story goes, his girlfriend at the time showed him a photo of Elvis in his prime, and he was bowled over by his look.

Christopher Walken's fandom not only extended to his personal adoption of the pompadour hairstyle, but also inspired him to write and perform a play about his idol in the afterlife, Him. And as any good fan would be inspired to do, he played the part of Elvis himself.

Dancing And Singing Have Become Two Of His Trademarks

While his career is more widely known for playing eccentric, and sometime villainous, characters, there are two skills that Christopher Walken loves to show off whenever he’s able: singing and dancing. The public would discover this for the first time in 1981, when Walken played a tap dancing pimp named Tom in Pennies From Heaven, which involved a huge song and dance number to “Let’s Misbehave.”

His musical theater abilities would crop up in various places throughout his career, but most importantly in three specific areas. In addition to almost every monologue as a host for Saturday Night Live containing a song and dance, you may have seen Christopher Walken on MTV a couple of times throughout the ‘90s, or in his starring role as Captain Hook in NBC’s live production of Peter Pan.

Christopher Walken Has Been In Several Music Videos

For someone who has such a huge love for Elvis Presley, as well as the medium of song and dance, it seems like a natural sort of move for Christopher Walken to appear in a music video. And you might be surprised with some of the acts he’s been paired with in the videos he managed to leap into.

His first two videos were for Madonna and Skid Row, as the ‘90s saw him in the music videos for their respective singles “Bad Girl” and “Breakin’ Down.” But perhaps his greatest achievement in the medium was as the surprise star of Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” video, which saw him dancing and flying through a deserted hotel lobby.

Christopher Walken’s Been A Seven Time Host Of Saturday Night Live

When it comes to being host of Saturday Night Live, we all know that the threshold of greatness is marked by those who have served at least five times. Well, baby, you can count good old Christopher Walken among those ranks, as the man has been a host of the show for seven times thus far.

Starting with his first appearance in 1990, and ending with his final appearance on record in 2008, Walken has held court on the show for as many days as there are in a week. But you can take one of those days off the calendar if you’re trying to count how many appearances include his famous sketch involving The Continental, as he didn’t bring that character back in his ’08 outing.

He (Almost) Never Turns Down A Role He’s Offered

Christopher Walken’s generous career is something he chalks up to one important fact: he tries not to say no to a role he’s offered. While it’s not exactly true, as there are some roles he’s not been able to do for logistical reasons or lack of interest, he almost always leaps at a chance to do something new. While some might see it as a bad thing, it’s a skill that Walken prides himself on.

And without it, we probably wouldn’t have seen him in lesser known films like Mouse Hunt, The Country Bears or even The Stepford Wives remake – all of which he adds his own unique stamp to. Plus, if Christopher Walken weren’t so adventurous, he probably wouldn’t have taken a chance on young Quentin Tarantino’s breakout hit Pulp Fiction. So go ahead and try to imagine that movie without the watch monologue.

Christopher Walken Was Almost Han Solo

While it was a joke in the long running series of Saturday Night Live sketches making fun of Star Wars auditions, Christopher Walken’s inclusion is based on reality. In the process of auditioning the role of Han Solo, the roguish looking Walken read for the role, but ultimately didn’t get it.

Which is ok, considering the company was in was the likes of Nick Nolte, Burt Reynolds, Kelsey Grammar, and Tom Selleck, all of whom also auditioned for the part. The role would memorably go to carpenter/up and coming actor Harrison Ford.

No, Christopher Walken Was Never Going To Run For President

We close with a sad reality that folks learned over a decade ago, despite a hoax on the internet telling them otherwise. Prior to the 2008 election, there was a convincing rumor going around that Christopher Walken was actually going to run for president. It sounds weird, but considering his character in Wedding Crashers was a political mover and shaker, it was something that actually took hold.

Unfortunately, the hoax was proven incorrect by Walken and his publicist, but he did play along in one small respect after the jig was up. If you were ever wondering what a Christopher Walken candidacy’s campaign slogan would look like, he gave two to his fond admirers: "What the Heck" and "No More Zoos!" We’d like to think that last one was due to his time as a young lion tamer, back in his circus days.

And that is possibly everything you could want to know about Christopher Walken, unless you really want to find out what his sixth grade teacher’s name was. In which case, we can’t help you, but admire your passion for the man who once gave this world just a little more cowbell.

It will be a sad day if Christopher Walken ever decides he wants to retire for good, but when he does, he’ll leave behind one hell of a story. And if he wants to do something in his post-retirement years, we’d definitely suggest he write an autobiography or seven, seeing as he has enough material to make for some interesting reading.

Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Walken are both Hollywood stalwarts who have each been a mainstay of the cinematic landscape for decades. As a result, you’d simply assume they were old pals -especially since they have five shared credits. However, Walken has now revealed that he didn’t actually meet Goldblum until years after those projects.

Christopher Walken made the revelation during an interview with Yahoo! Movies to promote his recent turn as Hook in Peter Pan Live! Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Walken both starred in the 1970s films Next Stop, Greenwich Village,Annie Hall, The Sentinal, as well as 2006's Man of the Year, but bizarrely they never actually came across each other on the set of these films. They didn't even have their chance for their first meeting on a red carpet or even at a press junket. It was in fact at a Los Angeles stoplight that the two men finally came face to face. Walken told the site,

Unfortunately, Christopher Walken didn’t go on to reveal whether this random meeting proved to be the catalyst for a long and fruitful friendship. Let’s hope that it did though, because I can only imagine that a night out on the town sipping tequila alongside Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Walken would probably prove to be the greatest evening of all time.

Plus, let’s face it: if you were a single gentleman that was looking to schmooze with an attractive lady, then it would literally be impossible not to do so with either this man ….

or this suave gentleman as your wing-man.

Of course, there is also the ridiculously high probability that the female in question would only be interested in seducing Christopher Walken or Jeff Goldblum. Which is completely understandable. Of course, both men are currently married, so that would definitely give you the leg up - but also might drive away the aforementioned woman. Still, I’m sure there would be good time to be had with just Walken and Goldblum, with both telling fun stories about Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Woody Allen and John Carpenter. Plus, you’d hope that they’d pick up the bill too. So it would probably still be worth it.

Well, the numbers are in and NBC’s live spectacular take on Peter Pan soared high…just not high enough. The NBC event was clearly a hit but, unfortunately, it did not put the three-hour live production into the ratings stratosphere that some industry insiders might have hoped.

When it was all said and done, Peter Pan Live scored a solid 2.3 and 6 share in the key demographics of ages 18-49, which roughly translates to over 9 million viewers that watched the boy/girl that would never grow up. The telecast delivered the second-highest 18-49 ratings for NBC on a Thursday, excluding sports telecasts, in three years, since Steve Carell signed off of The Office in April 2011.

According to the numbers that Peter Pan managed to muster, they were very solid for a production that was something of a test as NBC enters the waters of live filmed entertainment. The powerhouse performance of last year’s effort did prompt NBC to sign on and produce more live presentations of musicals for the network in the future., Peter Pan being the first of the bunch in the new wave of extended live programming.

Remember, these live productions are very carefully planned and produced and made for maximum exposure to their target demographic. NBC’s event programming was ready and waiting for Captain Hook and company to take on last year’s live runaway hit, The Sound of Music Live! starring country superstar Carrie Underwood which did boffo numbers for the network. After the runaway success of Underwood’s musical, it was a no brainer for NBC to delve back into the live production business this holiday season. At the very least, Peter Pan managed to avoid the “hate watching” of the special which was the scourge of The Sound of Music Live! a year ago.

This year’s selection of Peter Pan Live starred Girls actress Allison Williams as the iconic lead and the brash and bold Christopher Walken as Captain Hook, and both were both smart casting choices. Girls’ cult following probably helped Williams’ audience, and who can turn down watching perennial tough guy Walken prove that the actor’s early song-and-dance days are still with him.

NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt called it “a great night for NBC,” and added this bit of silver lining-grasping, according to Variety.

The timeless stories of our youth will always have a special place in our hearts and whatever the networks can do to resuscitate a little more childhood out of the working man, I am all for it. Of course, there had better be some CGI in whatever comes next!

Peter Pan Live! has been coming together over at NBC for months now, but on Monday, the network finally released some footage from the live production, which spotlights Allison Williams’ makeover to look like a young boy, as well as Christopher Walken in his full Captain Hook regalia. Check out the fun trailer, below.

Peter Pan has had a long history in the cultural lexicon. J.M Barrie’s famous story was published as a stage play and then a novel in the early 1900s. Then, Disney turned the story into a film in 1953. The musical stage production was performed in 1954 with Mary Martin in the lead. Eventually, that production hit VHS in the 1990s and has been well-known ever since. So, when NBC began looking for a musical production to perform live, Peter Pan was a natural choice.

The stage version of Peter Pan has traditionally signed on a woman in the lead role. This time around, Christopher Walken nabbed the role of Captain Hook, and shortly thereafter, Girls actress Allison Williams landed the role of Peter Pan. The first trailer for the live production focuses on the two characters, taking us from the window of the Darling childrens’ bedroom to the far off Neverland, where pirates and lost boys roam.

Peter Pan Live! follows in the footsteps of The Sound of Music Live!, which did well as an “event” production around this time last year. The December broadcast last year received plenty of accolades, thanks to its chancy live component and its all-star cast, which included Carrie Underwood, Laura Benanti and Stephen Moyer. It also brought in a whopping 18.47 million total viewers and a 4.6 rating in the advertising demo. That’s a huge success for the network, and it’s easy to see why NBC wants to repeat that sort of performance this year.

This time, NBC has signed on for a well-known, likeable play and (thanks to Walken) has a more famous cast to back up the performance. Peter Pan Live! also has a larger ensemble cast and more moving components, including Captain Hook’s ship to contend with on the stage, amping up the excitement factor somewhat. You can see how it all pans out when Peter Pan Live! hits the schedule on December 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

Christopher Walken, with his stone-face and signature elocution, has built an incredible mystique over the course of his career. And like another odd yet deeply beloved actor (Jeff Goldblum) he knows you are obsessed with him. And he uses this cultural fascination with his Walken ways to his own bemusement, and cake-getting.

Maggie Q, Walken's co-star in the sports comedy Balls of Fury, has given the world a glimpse into the strange inner life of Christopher Walken. In her Reddit AMA to promote her upcoming series Stalker, she sang the praises of Tom Cruise, discussed her process, and spoke out for animal rights. But amid all that Maggie Q delivered a bizarre and yet believable story about how Walken amuses himself during the downtime on film shoots. Essentially, he fakes his birthday.

Asked if Christopher Walken is "funny as hell" in real life, Maggie Q answered,

So if you're ever fortunate enough to spot Christopher Walken in the wild--or the streets of New York or Los Angeles, whatever--don't just rush over and gush about how much you love him in one of his 120-some roles, from Deer Hunter to The Prophecy. Instead, coolly wish him a happy birthday. You might just make him laugh.

To toast the beautiful bizarreness that is Christopher Walken, let's enjoy his quirky dance choreography from Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice."

Happy birthday, Mr. Walken.

NBC is sprinkling some fairy dust on its winter programming lineup and trying to make magic. The network signed on for Peter Pan Live! earlier this year, bringing along Girls actress Allison Williams to play the titular character and Christopher Walken to play Pan’s archnemesis, Captain Hook. This week, we’ve finally gotten a look at what Walken will look like in the iconic role. Take a glance, below.

In the image, brought to us by NBC and Peter Pan Live! producer Neil Merron via Twitter, we see Peter Pan and Captain Hook dueling it out among the sails of Hook’s brig, The Jolly Roger. Peter Pan’s dagger should be no match for hooks sword, but we should all know by know that Peter Pan is pretty nimble on his feet. While it’s nice to get a glimpse of the set for Peter Pan Live!, the real point of interest is Captain James Hook himself.

In the image, Walken’s wearing the red coat that made Captain Hook a famous character in the Disney version of the story so long ago. He also has on pinstriped pants and a stylish feathered hat. What makes Walken look so Hook-like, though, is the makeup on his face and the nod to a period in English history Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie described his character as a relic of in the original source material.

Basically, what we are saying is that Walken looks the part, even if he tells EW he can’t sing, which is a problem of a different sort. Peter Pan Live! is actually based on the Broadway musical that hit the stage all the way back in 1954. Following the success of The Sound of Music Live!, NBC announced its newest musical endeavor all the way back in January, the musical is currently in the middle of the four months of rehearsal time the cast and crew need to be stage ready for the big night.

NBC’s Peter Pan Live! special is set to air during primetime on Thursday, December 4.

Post by Jon Favreau.

After the critical darling that is Chef, Jon Favreau is now in production on the live-action remake of Disney's The Jungle Book. And he can't wait to give us a look at his cast, which boasts Bill Murray, Christopher Walken and newcomer Neel Sethi.

The image up top Favreau shared on Facebook. As you can see, it's a selfie of the The Jungle Book director alongside his Mowgli and Baloo, which was hinted by the caption "The Bare Necessities #junglebook."

This is first picture of Sethi we've seen since he was first cast last July. The 10-year-old from New York was one of countless kids who auditioned for the hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Upon his casting, Disney released a picture of the adorable kid that even featured Mowgli's signature flyaways.

While The Jungle Book will mark Neel Sethi's feature film debut, the green child actor will be supported by a cast of storied stars, that include Bill Murray (pictured above), Idris Elba, Ben Kinglsey, Giancarlo Esposito, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken (pictured below).

Post by Jon Favreau.

This image was captioned simply "The King #junglebook," reflecting Walken's role as the wild King Louie. This loony character could be a defining element that will set Disney's adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic apart from Warner Brother's Jungle Book: Origins. While we made a comprehensive visual breakdown of the Who's Who of these dueling Jungle Book movies, no one has been cast to face off against Walken's King Louie.

It seems--as one astute commenter pointed out--this could be because WB's version is looking to stay loyal to the source material, where there was no King Louie. Disney's version will more likely be following along the lines of their jaunty 1967 animated Jungle Book. Though it has not (yet?) been stated that Favreau's live-action take--which will employ CGI animals in place of hand-drawn ones--will be a musical. But with Walken on board, we'll keep our fingers crossed for some orangutan dancing. For evidence of his dancing abilities, we'll direct you to page 2 of this article.

Disney's The Jungle Book is destined to hit theaters on October 9th, 2015. Jungle Book: Origins will follow on October 21st, 2016.

Disney has been putting a lot of effort into creating an enticing ensemble for their live-action re-imagination of The Jungle Book. The latest addition to the cast is a pair of heralded and established performers. Academy Award winner Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter) has signed on along with Giancarlo Esposito, who earned an Emmy nomination for his work as Gus Fring on the highly-acclaimed TV drama Breaking Bad.

Director Jon Favreau has pulled together an incredible cast that not only includes Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito, but also Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Ben Kingsley and newcomer Neel Sethi.

Disney first adapted Rudyard Kipling's novel about a boy raised in the jungle back in 1967, as a cartoon musical. Favreau's version will replace the hand-drawn animals for computer-generated ones, who will likely have a photo-realistic look. Only Neel Sethi will appear in the movie in the flesh, as he plays the lost boy named Mowgli.

With so much of the ensemble assembled, we though it'd be fun to look at this new Jungle Book's cast next to the characters they will be bringing to life from the animated version. First up, Christopher Walken is set to play King Louie, who--voiced by Louis Prima--memorably sang, "I Wanna be Like You," in the 1967 version of the film.

In the new Jungle Book, Giancarlo Esposito will lend his voice to Akela, the leader of the wolf pack who takes in the abandoned Mowgli.

Lupita Nyong'o, who broke through with her debut role in 12 Years a Slave to Oscar accolades, will play Mowgli's adopted mother, a wolf called Rakcha.

Ben Kingsley will channel his intensity into the role of the black panther Bagheera, whose voice in the orginal book is described as "as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree."

In an unexpected but clever move, Scarlett Johansson was cast as Kaa. Voiced in the animated movie by male voice actor Sterling Holloway, the hypnotizing snake will have an added and sultry appeal coming from the actress who sold Her with her voice alone.

Idris Elba will bring his thunderstorm of a voice to the cunning and killer cat of the jungle Shere Khan, a role voiced by George Sanders in the animated movie.

And last but not least is little Neel Sethi as Mowgli, the hero of our adventure, whom was voiced by Bruce Reitherman back in 1967.

There's one notable absence in the cast so far: Baloo the Bear. Originally voiced by Phil Harris, the character was spun-off into his own series TailSpin, and became a much-beloved character for kids of the '90s, as well. So where is he? We'll give you more on The Jungle Book's casting as it develops.

The Jungle Book will open on October 9th, 2015.

The Family Fang just got a bit more bite with word that Christopher Walken has signed on, joining a cast that's fronted by Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman.

Variety reports Christopher Walken will play Caleb Fang, patriarch of the titular family. Bateman and Kidman will play his grown children, Annie and Buster. On top of that, Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman will pull double duty with the former producing the project, and the latter directing.

Based on the best-selling novel by Kevin Wilson, The Family Fang centers on the titular clan who is deeply dysfunctional thanks to the vocation of mother and father Camille and Caleb, performance artists who put their craft above everything else, including their children. Throughout their childhood, Annie and Buster were the unwilling subjects of their parents' various works. As adults they stayed far away, but when both are in need of some sanctuary they return home, only to have their parents disappear.

The role of Camille Fang has not yet been cast.

Kidman's been behind this project since its start, carefully pulling together its pieces. News of this production first surfaced back in the fall of 2011, when Nicole Kidman secured the screen rights for The Family Fang with an eye toward starring. In the spring of 2012, she had scored a top-notch screenwriter to adapt the novel, hiring David Lindsay-Abaire. He'd previously collaborated with her on the extraordinary drama Rabbit Hole, which was based on Lindsay-Abaire's play of the same name.

Last fall, Kidman found her director and co-star in Jason Bateman, hot off the premiere of his directorial feature debut Bad Words at the Toronto International Film Festival. That R-rated comedy just had its theatrical release at the end of March. Bad Words received largely positive reviews, and earned $7.7 million over 8 weekends. Not enough to set the world on fire, but the movie has generated some serious excitement for Bateman's future as a director.

In case you missed it, here's the red band trailer for Bad Words. It is NSFW.

The novel The Family Fang has been described as The Royal Tennenbaums meets Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? So, it seems the brand of edgy comedy that Bateman forged with Bad Words is a fantastic starting point. Kidman has been known to dabble in dark comedy from To Die For to The Stepford Wives remake, and Christopher Walken is a comic genius of his own bizarre devising. Now, all that remains is to find a mama Fang who can further enhance this ensemble.

The Family Fang will roll into production this July.

Daniel Algrant’s career consists of three films produced with nearly a decade in between each project, as he followed 2002’s mediocre crime drama People I Know with this year’s biopic Greetings From Tim Buckley. But instead of waiting until 2022 to begin work on something else, he is lining up another interesting music-based film called Little Rootie Tootie, which has attracted the likes of Christopher Walken and Lenny Kravitz as its leads. I assume the film will eventually add the subtitle Are You Gonna Go My Way With More Cowbell.

According to Deadline, the film will follow Walken as Sonny, a lifelong jazz pianist mourning the recent death of his wife. As Sonny becomes increasingly destructive, his son (Kravitz) returns home from Europe, where he and his wife are successful musicians in their own right. The three of them attempt to function as a well-oriented family, but the eccentric lives of musicians eventually take over as the film veers towards a "tragic but impactful conclusion."

I’m not sure how I feel about a film’s ending being described in the basic plotline, but I’m sold on this regardless. I’m always interested in the lives of musicians – actual musicians, mind you, and not tabloid-ready pop singers – and this sounds like a pretty meaty story, with a script written by Algrant himself. It holds the same level of interest as the Pacino-starring Imagine. And I love Walken enough that I’d be interested in this even if he was playing a kazoo musician trying to build the world’s biggest house of cards. (Must write this idea down elsewhere.)

Walken is no stranger to roles with music involved, as he starred last year as a member of an emotionally imbalanced string quartet in Yaron Zilberman’s A Late Quartet, and will be starring in Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys, a biopic about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. On the non-music front, he’ll portray Zeus in Marc Turtletaub’s dramatic comedy Gods Behaving Badly, and will perform a little vaudeville work opposite Shirley MacLaine in Lian Lunson’s drama The Boom Boom Room.

Kravitz’s acting resume is short, but populated only by high-profile films, playing James Holloway in Lee Daniels’ The Butler earlier this year, and soon to reprise his role of Cinna in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Little Rootie Tootie will begin production in New York City starting in January. But until then, how about a little Blue Oyster Cult? Just, you know, with a little more of one instrument.

It looks like Christopher Walken may be getting ready to throw on his dancing shoes once again. According to Deadline, the Oscar-winning star has become the first big name actor cast in Clint Eastwood's big screen adaptation of the musical Jersey Boys. According to the site's sources, the actor is set to play the role of Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo, a mob boss who has ties to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons through lead guitarist Tommy DeVito. DeCarlo helps out the boys in the band when Tommy is overburded with a ton of debt. The role was originally played by Mark Lotito on Broadway, and he continues to play the role to this day.

Eastwood has been making slow progress putting the film together, as he's been connected to the project since March, but the pieces do seem to be starting to fall into place. Last week Variety reported that the production has found its four leads in Vincent Piazza, John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, and Michael Lomenda, who will play DeVito, Valli, Bob Gaudio, and Nick Massi, respectively. Of the four, only Young was actually featured in the Broadway production.

It was last month when it was reported that Eastwood would be avoiding casting big name actors to star as the members of the band, but apparently Walken may only be the first on what will be a growing list. According to Deadline, the star will be the one of "several stars who’ll add some name recognition to the production." The article doesn't specify any of the names that are being considered, but there are still some big parts left to fill, including Mary Delgado (Valli's first wife), Bob Crewe (the record producer that signed the group) and even a young Joe Pesci (who was a friend of the group before making it as an actor).

Despite the fact that both Walken and Eastwood have been in the film industry for decades, this will actually be the first time that they are credited together on a project. The Deer Hunter star has been keeping very busy as of late and last year starred in both Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths (one of my favorite movies of 2012) and Yaron Zilberman's A Late Quartet. He has completed work on the upcoming Marc Turtletaub-directed, Greek myth-based comedy Gods Behaving Badly - in which he will play Zeus - and is also currently attached to the Errol Morris sci-fi dramedy Freezing People Is Easy, with Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.

Walken has plenty of experience in his career playing both gangsters and dancing around, and below you can find videos of my favorite examples of each:

Choosing a movie can be a difficult task, and the above interview segment with veteran actor Christoper Walken explains the process he uses to pick characters and projects. In particular in the interview, Walken discusses his character in the film Stand Up Guys, a movie which stars Walken, Al Pacino, and Alan Arkin as three former friends and criminal partners who reunite for one last bout of adventure. The story is a twisted one, and if you weren’t able to catch it in theaters, you’ll be able to see it when Stand Up Guys hits Blu-ray and DVD on May 21.

It doesn’t surprise me that Walken would read through a script several times before deciding whether or not the role is right for him. Walken, overall, seems like a pretty cautious and calm individual, which strikes me as the opposite of a lot of the action-oriented characters he has played in films. However, he says he likes to find little things in common between his real-life demeanor and the roles he plays in films. It’s the little things that make a character believable and it’s a great way to determine whether or not a role is right for a person.

The short interview segment teases a Blu-ray and DVDrelease that offers a surprising number of bonus features, regardless of whether you purchase a Blu-ray or DVD copy of the film. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has put together a pretty nice set offering featurettes like “The Lowdown On Making Stand Up Guys” and “American Muscle: The Stand Up Stunt Driving Scenes.” Additionally, deleted scenes, audio commentary, and a segment on Bon Jovi’s music will be present. The latter may seem a little oddball, until you consider Bon Jovi’s original track for the film, “Not Running Anymore,” was actually nominated for a Golden Globe.

You can pre-order Stand Up Guys over at Amazon.

Despite a great cast and decent marketing campaign, Stand Up Guys didn’t do so stand up at the box office. I blame the title of the film for being too nondescript. The film itself follows a criminal recently released from prison (Al Pacino), who gets into a series of shenanigans with his old partners in crime (Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin), to interesting results. If former criminals and shoot-em-up aspects are your thing, you can catch Stand Up Guys when it hits Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on May 21.

Walken and Arkin have had a pretty big year—especially Arkin, who performed well in this year’s Academy Award Best Picture winner, Argo, even getting to state the big “Argo fuck yourself” line. Add in Pacino and you have the formula for a pretty decent—and pretty weird—buddy comedy. Additionally, The Good Wife’s Julianna Margulies and a slew of other supporting characters also pop up in the film.

If this is a flick that you are interested in seeing but don’t care about packaging or any other bells and whistles, Lionsgate Home Entertainment is bringing the film onto Video On Demand early. Stand Up Guys will hit VOD on May 7. The VOD release might be a good way to decide whether or not the film is worth owning in hard copy, as both the Blu-ray and DVD sets will run on the expensive end. Blu-ray copies will run for $39.99 and DVD copies will run somewhat more cheaply, at $27.98. You can check out the trailer or the full list of bonus features, below.

Stand Up Guys Blu-ray Extras

• “American Muscle: The Stand Up Stunt Driving Scenes” featurette
• “The Lowdown On Making Stand Up Guys” featurette
• “The Stand Up Songs Of Jon Bon Jovi" featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary with Director Fisher Steven

Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin have each created a myriad of unforgettable characters, and between the two of them have scored ten Academy Award nominations and three Oscar wins. These three legendary actors have joined forces to play a trio of aging con men in the crime comedy Stand Up Guys, directed by Oscar-winning producer of The Cove, Fisher Stevens. Originally slated for a early 2013 release, the film has just gotten a major boost in buzz as Lionsgate has not only bumped it out of the dead zone that is January, but also is giving it a one-week qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles, that will make it eligible for the upcoming award season.

Stand Up Guys stars Pacino as Val, a old school con man recently released from his long stint in prison. He's met outside the gates by his best friend and partner in crime, Doc (Walken), who is contracted to kill him by the following morning. While this duo on its own is intriguing, things get really interesting when Val acknowledges this is his last night on Earth. From there, the pair set out to save Hirsch (Arkin), an old pal in a bind, and have a night they'll never forget.

The film's first trailer was comedic, compelling, and seemed to show a Pacino back on his game. Apparently Lionsgate realizes they have something special on their hands, as THR reports they plan to promote the film for Golden Globe nods in all possible categories. On the Oscar front, they are being a bit more restrained, and frankly realistic, realizing the Academy's long-standing bias against comedy. According to THR, Lionsgate will submit Jon Bon Jovi's "Not Running Anymore" for the Oscar category of Best Song, but unfortunately no mention is made of an Oscar campaign for Pacino, Walken, or Arkin.

Stand Up Guys will have a limited release on December 14th; a wider release will follow on February 1st.

When word hit that playwright turned filmmaker Martin McDonagh's follow-up to his directorial feature debut In Bruges was titled Seven Psychopaths, those familiar with his work were instantly intrigued. Beyond being a pretty excellent title that evokes a sense of grand storytelling and frenzy, the name promised at least seven new additions to McDonagh's catalogue of often violent but always humorous characters. And with CBS Film's release of individual character posters, you don't need to wait for the film to hit theaters to get to know these psychos.

Psycho number one is played by Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, who shares her poster with the pup at the film's center. Once her beau kidnaps the Shih Tzu of a Los Angeles crime lord, the lives of all seven psychopaths are thrown into spin. Image courtesy of Coming Soon.

Curiously, Christopher Walken's psychopath #2 is called the non-violent one. A dognapper who has gotten on the wrong side of organized crime, he did face down a gun toting baddie in the film's first trailer by—well—by just being Walken. Image courtesy of EW.

In Bruges star Colin Farrell is seemingly normal one, and psychopath #3, a screenwriter whose best friend's unconventional schemes put his own life on the line while offering some killer inspiration. Image courtesy of Fandango.

At last, the leader of this wacky dog-abducting syndicate is played by Sam Rockwell, who memorably co-starred with Walken in the Broadway production of McDonagh's The Behanding in Spokane. In Seven Psychopaths, he is number 4, boyfriend of 1, business partner of 2, and troublemaking best friend of 3. He also favors knitted caps that resemble raccoons. Image courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes.

Sucker Punch's Abbie Cornish is psychopath #5, whose favored weapon is passive-aggressive behavior most often wielded against her struggling screenwriter beau, #3. Image courtesy of MTV.

The most intriguing poster features psychopath #6, a mysterious man with a rabbit played by Tom Waits. Little is know about this strange figure but the bunny seems a callback to to McDonagh's Oscar-winning short Six Shooter, and so doesn't bode well for #6's sanity. Image courtesy of Hitflix.

And finally, Woody Harrelson stares us down as #7, the gangster whose dog—that he loves as much as Zombieland's Tallahassee loved his "pup"—has been snatched. So obviously, there will be blood. Image Courtesy of Vulture.

And there you have it: the seven psychopaths of Seven Psychopaths. The film will make its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival; a theatrical release will follow on October 12th.

Martin McDonagh's directorial debut In Bruges made a very, very small box office impact when it was released in 2008, but it was well-loved enough to earn Colin Farrell a Best Actor Golden Globe nearly a year later, and has only become more popular as more people have been able to discover the whip-smart comedy. So it seems safe to assume that many, many more people will be looking forward to Seven Psychopaths, the follow-up feature from McDonagh that reunites him with Farrell and two actors who have acted in his stage shows, Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell. Woody Harrelson is also getting in on the action, and in the first-look images from the film posted at Entertainment Weekly, we see exactly what all the shenanigans revolve around: a shih tzu named Bonny. You can see her, Farrell and Rockwell all in the image below.

Farrell is the central character of the film, a screenwriter working on a script called Seven Psychopaths-- it's no coincidence that he, like the writer-director, is also named Martin-- and trying to find the personalities to flesh out the story. That becomes less of a problem when he gets wrapped up in Rockwell's scheme to kidnap the dogs belonging to rich people and then return them for the reward money. As McDonagh admits, "It's kind of a cruel thing to do," but Rockwell and his professional dognapper, played by Walken, do it humanely: "They take care of the dogs, and give them back promptly, and they don’t charge a lot.”

As you can see in the next picture, the scheme turns sour for everybody when they kidnap Bonny, who belongs to Woody Harrelson's gangster character Charlie-- a harsh, violent man who is still very, very attached to his pup. Presumably Farrell's character isn't entirely responsible for the dognapping, but he still gets punished for it in the picture below.

Rounding out the cast are many more varied talents, including Precious breakout Gabourey Sidibe, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, Abbie Cornish and Tom Waits, who plays "a rabbit-petting weirdo who offers up strange stories from his past for the Seven Psychopaths screenplay." You can see more images from the film and read more details about it at EW, and if the movie doesn't ratchet up to the top of your "must-see" list after that, I'm not sure how to help you. CBS Films is releasing the film later this year, though, so you've got some time to properly ramp up those expectations.

What's with all of the action movies starring old people? The trend began in 2009 when Sly Stallone and his action buddies from the 80s starred together in The Expendables and continued later that year when Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich played in Red. It's continuing this year with The Expendables 2, which has brought on even more older faces, and now Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin are getting into the game.

The three actors - who are an average age of 72 - have all signed on to star in Stand Up Guys, an action/comedy from director Fisher Stevens (yes, Short Circuit Fisher Stevens). Based on an original script by Noah Haidle and formally titled Old Timers, the story is about two aging criminals who find themselves in trouble when one is hired to kill the other. Knowing their fate, they decide that they will have a huge final night together, which involves brothels, grand theft auto, and police chases. THR doesn't say which actors will play which roles. The movie is scheduled to start production this April in Los Angeles.

It's been so damn long since Pacino has done anything worth watching, but hopefully this will be the project that will pull him out of his slump. Arkin and Walken are always great to see on screen, and it will be even better to see all three of them together. The question is who should play the main two guys? Would you rather see Pacino and Arkin, Pacino and Walken, or Walken and Arkin? Let us know in the comments section below.

Errol Morris' cryogenics comedy Freezing People Is Easy is thawing out a pretty impressive cast. Paul Rudd signed on for the flick back in July, and now Deadline reports that Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Christopher Walken may be joining the film as well. Dang it, I really had my hopes up for a Balls of Fury sequel.

Freezing People is Easy is based on two sources: a memoir by Robert Nelson called We Froze the First Man and an episode of Ira Glass' popular radio show This American Life (Glass is also a producer on the movie). Both center on Nelson, a TV repairman who, back in the '60s, managed to stumble his way into being one of the preeminent people in the field of cryogenics/cryonics. The notion of freezing terminally ill people, to be awakened at some point in the future when they can be cured, went through a trendy period where some thought it was the key to human immortality. Sadly, however, things didn't work out as well as they did in Futurama, and they were never able to work out all the bugs.

You can hear the This American Life episode, entitled "Mistakes Were Made," right here. Zach Helm wrote the script, which is great news for anyone who loved his wonderful, little-seen 2006 movie Stranger Than Fiction (otherwise known as the Will Ferrell movie for people who hate Will Ferrell movies). The only Helm-written movie that's been released since then is Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I'm sure that movie has its fans, but Helm's Stranger Than Fiction script was great, so I'm hoping Freezing People Is Easy will have the same peculiar charm as that film.

I don't think I need to explain my love of Martin McDonagh's In Bruges. After all, it was only a couple weeks ago that I wrote 500 words on why it's Colin Farrell's best work. What's tragic is that McDonagh hasn't written or directed a film since. Sure, his brother John Michael McDonagh made The Guard earlier this year - another movie that I absolutely love - but the world still needs more Martin. Lucky for us the drought is almost over.

According to THR, CBS Films is currently negotiating to pick up Seven Psychopaths, the new Martin McDonagh film, for distribution in the US. Described as an action-comedy, the movie reunites the filmmaker with Colin Farrell and also has Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken on board. The plot follows a screenwriter (Farrell) who becomes involved with his two friends (Rockwell and Walken) who have a criminal enterprise that revolves around kidnapping dogs. Things get terrifying, however, when the dog belonging to a local "crazy gangster" goes missing. The trade says that Mickey Rourke and Tom Waits may also become involved with the movie, which is scheduled to start production later this year. The film's title comes from the name of a screenplay that the protagonist is working on.

This story makes me 40 different varieties of happy. In Bruges proved that McDonagh knows how to make a pitch-perfect dark comedy and this film seems perfectly in line with that. It's a shame that it seems as though Brendan Gleeson won't be returning, but it's really hard to complain about the cast that has been assembled here.

All the little specifics are finally starting to fall into place for A Late Quartet. The indie from Yaron Zilberman has been speculated about since Ethan Hawke boarded to play a depressed, cheating second violinist back in August, but now he’s out and his When The Devil Knows You’re Dead co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman is in.

According to IndieWire, details beyond that are a little scarce, but Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener may also be in. If that’s the case, we could be looking at a serious future Oscar contender, provided it gets enough distribution to be noticed.

The basic plot follows a renowned string quarter in a period of confusion after their leader is diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. All of the members have their own personal problems and each deal with the group chaos in very different ways. We still don’t know who would be playing what roles. Based on age, Walken would seem the likely candidate to be the quartet’s leader, but Hoffman seems like the logical choice to play the tragic role, at least based on acting strengths. We may not know all the details, but we certainly know enough to be very interested.

Kill the Irishman stars Ray Stevenson as a mob enforcer who goes rogue. Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer are involved somehow too, though even after watching the movie’s first trailer I’m not entirely sure how. Maybe you’ll have better luck divining their involvement. I think it involves Loan Sharking, which would be a lot funnier if it were Land Sharking. Chris Walken was born to play a Land Shark.

Yesterday we exclusively debuted Kill the Irishman’s first poster here and now here’s your first look at the trailer. Watch it below or watch it in HD on Yahoo.

Why does every gangster movie trailer now have to use that freeze frame, grindhouse, splatter name display gimmick? It’s getting a little tiresome. Aside from that, it’s hard to really tell what’s going on in this movie. But Christopher Walken is in it, and that means I’m giving it a chance.

For more detailed info on Kill the Irishman visit its page in our Blend Film Database.

Now that they’re out of the ground, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood snatched up the story of the trapped Chilean miners and turned it into a feature film. In fact they’re so eager to get this movie done, that they’ve already created the first trailer for the movie version of their story, a film called Los 33.

Los 33 is an unprecedented Hollywood production which will tell the story of those 33 trapped men using 33 of Hollywood’s most illustrious actors, with Bruce Willis as the health minister and Leslie Nielson as the president of Chile. Los 33 will without a doubt, be the most star-studded movie of all time and it’s coming to you from the director of Daddy Day Care.

Check out the first trailer for the Hollywood retelling of the trapped Chilean miner crisis right here, right now:

It’s a truly incredible group of actors. In case you missed it, here’s the complete cast list for Los 33: Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, Russell Brand, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Peter O'Toole, Michael Caine, Daniel Day-Lewis, Rowan Atkinson, Jackie Chan, Dev Patel, Steve Buscemi, Steve Martin, Cheech Marin, Jerry Seinfeld, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Kelsey Grammer, Ray Winstone, Stephen Fry, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken, Christopher Biggins, Justin Bieber, Meryl Streep, and Woody Allen with Bruce Willis and Leslie Nielsen.

The countdown until someone complains that there aren't enough women in this movie based on the real life story of 33 men trapped underground, starts now.

It's been a while since we last heard from anything from Tony Scott's project Potsdamer Platz. Back in April, Mickey Rourke, Javier Bardem and Jason Statham all signed on to the project about two members of a New Jersey crime family looking to go international, but things have been quiet since then for the long in-development project. Fortunately, it looks as though the project is still very much alive and has just added two new cast members.

French website leParisien is reporting that Christopher Walken and French actor Johnny Hallyday have joined the cast. Unfortunately, the article doesn't supply any information regarding who the actors will play in the film, though an educated guess would be that Walken plays a member of the Jersey mafia and that Hallyday is one of the internationals the two soldiers encounter abroad.

What's strange is that Jason Statham is not mentioned in the article, meaning that he's either no longer involved with the project or that the French don't care about him. I'm inclined to lean towards the former because, seriously, who doesn't love Jason Statham? That guy's awesome.

The large female version of John Travolta may have haunted my dreams for the summer of 2007, but Hairspray was pretty damn good and I’m not the only one who thought so. Adam Shankman’s film was a massive success pulling in $119 million domestically and another $84 million overseas. What happens when a film does well? Sequel talk, of course, and for Hairspray 2 there was a whole lot of it.

There were hopes of having the cast tackle the music of the late 60s, getting Link Larkin (Zac Efron) to dabble in some drugs, even Edna (Travolta) dropping some pounds after getting hooked on diet pills. But forget that all now because the movie isn’t happening, plain and simple. As reported by the British Press, Shankman had this to say about the supposed sequel: “I’m going to kill that rumor now, that got killed.” He added, “It’s ok, I was so happy with the first one, let’s leave well enough alone. It’s all good.”

Yes, Hairspray 2 sounds like a fun concept, but, odds are, it’d end up being a major disappointment. Even with these seemingly amusing plot ideas, it’s hard to imagine the sequel being as fresh and fun as the original. Odds are, the silliness of the first would have been pushed over the top into pure stupidity. I agree with Shankman, it’s best to leave this one alone, but we all know Hollywood; when a guaranteed hit sits in the palm of a studio’s hand, it only takes a baby step to get things going. Hairspray 2 may be going nowhere now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the idea pop up again in the future. And who knows, maybe the time would even be right.

When casting agents are looking for a young female lead, presumably they have dozens upon dozens of relatively famous young actresses who can star in a movie. So why do they all keep settling on Jessica Alba? According to Production Weekly's Twitter, Alba is in talks to star in First Wedding, Then Marriage, a comedy that will serve as actor Dermot Mulroney's directorial debut.

You may remember our report from last May, which announced that Christopher Walken and Blythe Danner had signed on to play the parents of a marriage counselor whose worldview is rocked when they decide to get divorced. Now, Jessica Alba has played some roles that stretch credulity-- a professional violinist in The Eye, for example-- but for some reason marriage counselor seems like the craziest of all. Not to mention the notion of Alba, the child of Mexican and French-Danish parents, playing the kid of WASP poster girl Danner and Walken. But hey, maybe this is that Hollywood magic everyone's always talking about.