10 Actors Who Learned To Play Instruments For Their Roles
9. Christopher Walken In A Late Quartet
The artistic qualities of A Late Quartet stem mostly from its exquisite approach to musical symphony and the hidden, humanistic problems lying under the surface.
That's exactly what Christopher Walken embodied when he took on a main role with Peter Mitchell. A talented cellist slowly debilitating under Parkinson's Disease, the protagonist agrees to one final performance before his retirement. The experienced actor works alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener to deliver an outstanding final flourish.
Of course, being heavily based in music, the actors had to get to grips with different instrument; for Walken it was the cello. With over one hundred films under his belt, A Late Quartet challenged him in a way few productions had. To learn the instrument, Walken took lessons from an instructor. The actor said that while he had piano lessons as a child, his hands were clumsy when it came to working the strings.
Luckily he pulled it off and A Late Quartet made its mark upon release in 2012. On reflection, Christopher said: "To simulate playing a string instrument is different from pretending to play the piano or a trumpet or whatever. Your hands have to be convincing – both of them.” What his performance delivered was duality between play and internal problems.