Christopher Walken details villain role in 'Peter Pan Live'

NEW YORK, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Christopher Walken doesn't mind being typecast as a villain.

The 71-year-old actor said as much in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Walken will portray Captain Hook in NBC's Peter Pan Live, and told the website he considers himself fortunate to have played villains in such films as Batman Returns and True Romance.

"I don't know how but I think it's like anything else," he said of landing the roles. "In the movies in particular, if you establish yourself as something and you're lucky enough to keep getting hired ... I'd love to play a part like [Jim Anderson in Father Knows Best] -- nobody asks me!"

Walken will star opposite Allison Williams as Peter Pan in the live production. Captain Hook is determined to wreak revenge on the character for chopping off his hand, and the actor admitted he was able to sympathize with the villain's quest.

"There's something about him that's sort of sweet," he said. "His pirates just keep saying to him, 'Look, you've got all this money, you've done everything, why don't you just take it easy?' And he says, 'I can't, I have to settle a score.' So there's something a bit sad about him. It's almost a little bit like, 'Poor old Hook.'"

Walken last appeared in Clint Eastwood film Jersey Boys, and is scheduled for a number of projects, including The Family Fang and Disney's live action The Jungle Book. Peter Pan Live will air Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.