Expert: Paul Rabe - 12/10/2008

Question
How did John Wayne get his famous walk?

Answer
Wayne didn't "get" his way of walking, like some gift from the sky. He developed it over the years -- partly to offset his stiffness, and eventually as part of his on-screen persona.

Watch Wayne's real early stuff, like prior to 1936. He's incredibly stiff and awkward, like he doesn't know quite what to do with his body. That's because, as an actor, he DIDN'T. He was hired because he looked and talked like a hero, but he hadn't learned how to move like one. He was tall and lanky, and couldn't manage to move his body in a smooth way. But he was devoted to his craft, and slowly learned how to do so. The key for himself, he found, was to move slowly and thoughtfully.

His slow, deliberate style of movement was simply his way of controlling a body that was too thin and lanky to move in a herky jerky manner.

By the time Wayne was no longer thin and lanky, his style was pretty much set.

In a similar manner, his advice on how to act was as follows:
www.quotationspage.com/quote/5046.html