DUTCH ACTOR WALT KLINK HAS APPEARED ON SCREENS IN THE TV SERIES RABBIT HOLE AND DRAMA THE ENGLISH. NEXT UP, HE’LL STAR IN DARK COMEDY FILM KRAZY HOUSE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE RISING TALENT TO TALK DREAM ROLES, ACTIVISM AND FINDING INNER PEACE.

Left Top **Dolce&Gabbana**, tights **Chanel**, shoes **Louis Vuitton**, sunglasses **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**
Right Coat and shorts **Egonlab**, tank top and earrings **Louis Vuitton**, shoes **Bottega Veneta**

Hey Walt, let’s talk about your latest project, the dark comedy film Krazy House. What’s it about and who do you play?

Hello Kate! So, the film is a rom-com that turns a bit dark and it’s quite weird but also completely original. I love how the directors Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuil are such beautiful creators in the way their characters frequently cross social lines but are also well-intentioned at their core. I play the son of Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone, and it was such a fun character to play.

How was it going into the comedy genre, after being in a spy thriller and more darker TV roles in the past?

It was nice, I could smile, make jokes, and not take things so seriously, so it was quite relieving and there was a nice energy on set. Nick [Frost] would improvise all the time, so it was interesting to just let go and have fun and create new things.

Left Top and pants **Ludovic de Saint Sernin**, belt **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

Are there a lot of younger Dutch actors like yourself working internationally? Or is it a small community where you all know each other?

I would say yes, we all know each other in some way or another. I feel like I’m the youngest one doing the international circuit though. That’s because I started self-taping during Covid, as all the auditions were, and still are, mostly via Zoom. So that new way of doing things helped me get recognised. The Dutch film community is small and I’m not that popular in Holland, which feels nice, as I can just walk around and be Walt!

That might change now you are appearing with Alicia Silverstone and Nick Frost in Krazy House. Having also previously worked with Kiefer Sutherland in the TV series Rabbit Hole, what have these industry heavyweights taught you about the craft so far?

They’ve been doing it for so long that they don’t feel insecure about their craft, and they just have fun with what they do, so that inspires me. Of course, they work hard but they just enjoy what they do. Kiefer impressed me as he was always so prepared and disciplined with his lines. I see acting as an art form, it’s like being a painter; each painter has their own style, and you can learn so much from it, but eventually, you must try out your own style and make mistakes and learn. That’s how acting is for me.

Who are some other actors or directors you find inspiring?

Performance-wise, I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, as his presence on screen was so powerful, he used his soul and energy to project his presence on screen.

What would be your dream role to play?

I would like to be in a story that could help a lot of people. Help in a sense where it gives some new perspective, a part where I, and the audience, can reflect on ourselves and our choices. I think the power of film is deeply meditational, it’s a sort of hypnosis in a sense, you can go into a theatre and forget all your worries. I would like to make a movie that will help people to see the truth of who they are and be kind to themselves.

Left Top **Mugler**, pants **Balenciaga**
Right Top and pants **Ludovic de Saint Sernin**, belt and shoes **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

Outside of acting, I wanted to talk about how you use your voice for positive change. You invited people to sit with you in Amsterdam’s Dam Square alongside a placard you made that read ‘CHOOSE LOVE’, in support of all those suffering the pain of war. What was the reaction to that, did people engage with you?

Oh man, it was something special. I felt scared to use my voice, but I decided to just try and make some sort of change, which as humans we’re often afraid of. I wanted to be the purest form of myself, which is what I work to being every day, and my message, by sitting in Dam Square, was to be there for other people, out of love. People sat next to me, and it was a beautiful thing, and the day I finished, so many people came up to me and said what I did inspired them, and now it’s going to be a regular thing in Dam Square. So that’s a sign for positive change.

What other things are you passionate about and want to pursue more?

The main thing for me is my spiritual work, and what I mean by that, is becoming purer every day, acting from source rather than circumstances. I’m passionate about art, yoga, meditating, surfing, and the world. I would like to create a platform that teaches meditation to children, that’s my goal.

Left Coat **Dries Van Noten**
Right Top **Dior Men**

You’ve talked quite openly about having personal issues when you were a child. Is that why you began meditating later?

Yes, I lost my mother at a very young age, and I never learned to deal with my emotions around it. I got into meditation around 16 or 17, and all this pain opened inside my body, and I had some real demons to fight, and I’m still fighting them. I had to come to terms with the fact that people die and that’s a part of life, and that’s not an easy thing to deal with as a child, as you blame yourself for things, and have no clue who you are or who you could be. I identified as a victim a lot, and I feared feeling my emotions, in case they ate me up entirely. After some time, I allowed myself to drown in the pain, and only then I came out the other side as a different person. It’s an ongoing process, working and accepting my pain, and trying to stay present with it.

Shirt **Hermès**, glasses photographer’s own

Do you think with acting then, that opportunity to be someone else, embody a different character, has allowed you to connect with yourself and others more?

Well, that’s why I admire Jim Carrey, because he played so many characters and at a certain point, he stopped and asked himself, ‘why am I not a character in my daily life too?’ I think I’ve experienced something like that, as I was trying to go so deep into these characters I’ve been playing from an early age, to totally forget who I am. Seeing how I can become another person makes me see where I cling on to my idea of self, but when you do that, your demons come up. I used to fear life, I was arrogant, and afraid to face my past, because I was scared to face my own self. But once you do that, you experience true love which is beyond negative and positive, and now I see all sides of life.

I’m always impressed when I interview actors who have humility. Because it’s an important trait. What’s the best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you about work or life?

I was talking with my manager recently about the image people have of me because of the work I do, which is completely different from who I am in essence. People project on you, because they can identify with a character, but it’s just an illusion they have of you, it’s not reality. I hope people can connect to some part of themselves and be more kind to themselves after reading this. Find acceptance in yourself and embrace change if you need to.