“Dating Her is Like Wearing Hot Lava.”: These Wild Facts About Celebrities Left Us Speechless

Christopher Walken has always had one of the strangest, most hypnotic screen presences in Hollywood, so maybe it makes sense that his early life was unusual too. Long before the intense stares, offbeat line deliveries, and unforgettable movie roles, Walken worked in a circus. Even better, he was a teenage lion tamer.

His lioness was named Sheba, and Walken has spoken about the experience as if it were just another odd job from his youth. But for most people, standing near a lion would be the scariest thing they ever did. For Walken, it was only the beginning of a lifetime of being fascinatingly unpredictable.