Christopher Walken Painted Over an Actual Banksy While Filming 'The Outlaws'

Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty; Big Talk/Four Eyes

Christopher Walkensent shocked gasps throughout the art world this week.

The Academy Award winner, 78, earned some laughs while painting over aBanksyin Wednesday’s season 1 finale of BBC’sThe Outlaws, but viewers might not have realized it was a real Banksy.

Walken stars in writer/director/star Stephen Merchant’sThe Outlawsas one of seven strangers forced to work together to complete their community service when they discover a bag full of cash, unaware that some dangerous people are looking for it.

In the scene, Walken paints over a wall of graffiti, as he comes across Banksy’s signature, along with one of his anthropomorphic rat paintings. “It’s awfully good,” he tells a supervisor who’s not paying attention. “Less debating, more painting,” she quips back, before he shrugs and gets back to painting.

Reps for Christopher Walken,The Outlawsand Banksy did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“We can confirm that the artwork at the end ofThe Outlawswas an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it,” a rep for the showtold BBC.

RELATED VIDEO: $1.4 Million Banksy Artwork Self-Destructs Right After Being Auctioned Off

Filmed in Bristol, both Merchant, 46, and Banksy’s hometown, the anonymous artistgave set designers permissionto not only use one of his original pieces but destroy it for the one-take scene, according to theNew York Post.

The latest sale broke his previous world auction record, after one of his pieceswent for more than $23 millionin March, benefitting British public health charities.

source: people.com