Christopher Walken Speaks on Late Co-Star Natalie Wood's Death

Christopher Walken spoke very little about the death of his former co-star Natalie Woods. Here's everything he did say about it.

In 1983, the film "Brainstorm" was released as the final legacy of actress Natalie Wood. Sadly, people would go on to talk about her for a much darker reason.

Questions still remain pertaining to the "Meteor" star's death, which happened when Wood was joined by yacht captain Davern, her husband Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken.

Wood and Wagner were married twice

Walken had starred in "Brainstorm" with Wood and was a close friend of the Hollywood couple. Wagner and Wood were married before from 1957 to 1962.

The pair divorced and Wood got married to Richard Gregson in 1969. They had one daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, who became a successful actress like her mother.

Gregson and Wood would divorce in 1972. By July, Wood and Wagner remarried and remained together until the actress' death. They had one child, Courtney Brooke Wagner.

The actress' death was tragic and mysterious

Wood's death took place during Thanksgiving weekend in 1981 aboard a yacht. It was especially haunting that Wood died because of her known fear of water.

Wood's sister Lana was never clear on the details of what happened, often contesting them over the years. The official report was that Wood died from "drowning and other undetermined factors."

Walken was said to be sleeping at the time of the tragedy. He remained silent on the matter for a long time after Wood's death. In 1983, he did an interview with ET.

Walken answered questions

Walken called the incident "a terrible thing" when asked during an interview promoting "Brainstorm." He was then asked if the death changed his attitude about living.

He said:

"Well, I suppose confrontation with the sudden absence of somebody you're working with for anybody is bound to make a difference in your life."

As for how the media dealt with it, Walken believes "they handled it in the only way they could." What happened, he said, is all that could have happened.

Regarding the questions surrounding the incident, Walken stated:

"The real story of her death is that she drowned and that nobody knows how she drowned, what happened except her. That's what it is. There is no real story."

Years passed before he addressed it again

In 1986, Walken again spoke on Wood's death. At the time, he sounded frustrated with the topic. “I don’t know what happened. She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then."

Walken again called it a "terrible thing" and refuse to talk further about the matter. He called it "a [expletive] bore." In 1997, the "Balls of Fury" actor was calmer when he spoke of the incident.

He reportedly tried to explain that anyone who witnessed the boat's logistics that night would have known what happened. He then compared the matter to other freak accidents.

Walken theorized that Wood was frustrated by the noise a dinghy was making as it hit against the boat. She probably went out to move it and slipped on a ski ramp in the water.

Wood's sister is not giving up

Meanwhile, sister Lana believes that Wagner may have done something. She believed him to be a jealous man who might have gotten angry when her sister allegedly began flirting with Walken.

Last year, Wagner was named a person of interest by the Los Angeles Country Sheriff's Department after a seven-year investigation. It's still not enough for Lana, who is holding out hope that more will be done.