- Hi, I'm Owen Wilson.
And this is the Wired Autocomplete Interview.
[upbeat music]
No, I have not Googled myself.
I can't think of anything worse.
[upbeat music]
How did Owen Wilson get his start?
I guess, University of Texas,
Wes Anderson and I became friends and college roommates.
And then we started writing a screenplay together.
That became Bottle Rocket.
How did Owen Wilson get his nose broken?
At University of Texas, yeah.
Playing, we were doing intermural flag football,
and I got banged but also I think just like,
as a kid, just rough housing.
How many movies are Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller in together?
I don't know, feels like 70.
You know, because we have a lot of sequels and stuff.
So we have the Meet the Parents.
So there's three.
We have the Night at the Museums.
That's three right there.
Although Ben was never there at Night at the Museum
because you know Steve Coogan and I play
these little miniature characters,
so they didn't need him there.
Then we were in Royal Tenenbaums
and Starsky & Hutch,
and the first movie, Permanent Midnight.
I feel like there's one more, but that's nine right there.
- [Producer] You're actually in 12 together.
- 12?
- [Producer] 12 movies.
- There's 12 with Ben?
What am I leaving out?
Oh yeah.
Zoolander. - [Producer] Zoolander.
- Yeah.
How could I forget that?
- Yeah, yeah,
we had two Zoolanders.
I think it's 11, but, but they're telling me 12.
Okay.
How many movies are Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn
in together?
Wedding Crashers of course.
And Zoolander and
oh, and Internship.
So it's just 3.
- [Producer] 4.
- 4?
- [Producer] Starsky & Hutch, too.
- Oh, he was?
Yeah, that's right.
He's really funny.
He kind of does a little dancing thing
in the bar mitzvah scene that makes me laugh.
Let's go right here.
Is Owen Wilson in every Wes Anderson movie?
No, I'm not.
I wasn't in Moonrise Kingdom,
and I wasn't in a few others.
I guess my favorite.
I mean, I always have a soft spot for Bottle Rocket,
the first one, but then Darjeeling Limited.
I think the story kind of
about three brothers was something
that of course I can relate to,
and I just love being in India.
So maybe that's my favorite.
Is Owen Wilson Australian?
Yes, he is.
Good day.
- [Producer] Why do people think that?
- Do they think that?
Is that something they think?
- [Producer] Yep. - I think that's kind of nice
because Australians kind of,
they sort of have the reputation of sort of a kind of
a hail fellow well met and maybe there is sort of,
I'm from Texas and maybe there is a slight overlap
in kind of the brashness of Texans and Australians.
I like a lot of Australian movies,
and I've had fun being there.
So yeah, let's say yes.
Okay, next one.
Is Owen Wilson a good skateboarder?
You know, this one, people think a lot
that I'm a skateboarder because I did this skate video,
Yeah Right!, that Spike Jones directed.
I do a trick in it that people think is me,
but some people say it's Eric Koston,
and they did a cowboy switch, and it wasn't me.
But I think it was me.
Is Owen Wilson coming back to Loki?
Yes, he is coming back to Loki.
And I think we're gonna start filming that pretty soon.
I had a great time working on Loki.
I really enjoyed Tom Hiddleston and all the people on that.
It's very satisfying doing that.
Who was older Luke or Owen Wilson?
That would be, I'm older.
I'm three years older than Luke.
Was Owen Wilson in a fraternity?
Decidedly not in a fraternity.
I didn't graduate from college.
- [Producer] Were you in the Frat Pack though?
That's kind of like a fraternity of comedians, right?
- Yeah, it was that.
What did they call that?
- [Producer] Frat pack.
- They, no, I think the frat,
wasn't that the thing with Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez
and them?
I think they that's what got called the frat pack.
But maybe the group of comedians
that they talk about sort of Ben Stiller and Jack Black.
I forget what the name was for that.
But yeah, maybe I was a member of that.
I wouldn't want to be a member
of any club that would have someone like me as a member.
What's that joke?
Was Owen Wilson a model?
No, I wasn't.
Who.
What does this one mean?
What's this one?
Who is your daddy Owen Wilson?
My father?
Who's my dad?
My dad is Robert Wilson.
Bob Wilson.
Great dad.
And from Boston, although we grew up in Dallas
because my dad worked in Dallas,
and when we were kids he was the head of the PBS station
in Dallas.
Just a great guy.
Yeah.
I miss him.
Well, I worked with Ed Helms on that movie Father Figures,
and we just had a great time working together.
It's funny.
Kind of when you show up to work kind of, you know
some days you kind of look forward to it more than others,
but when I was working with Ed, I knew, you know,
when I showed up, it was gonna be fun
just kind of talking.
Sometimes it can be kind of awkward
when you're kind of left sort of sitting, you know,
in a car doing a scene when they're not rolling.
But with Ed and I, I don't know,
we just really got along.
Owen Wilson, Turkey movie.
Free Birds, where I think the tagline was,
"Hang on to your nuggets."
Pretty good.
And Owen Wilson, Zoolander quotes.
I mean the one that people always say is,
"Hansel's so hot right now."
But I think that was Will Ferrell who says that.
Oh there's something about with spider monkeys,
like tripping with spider monkeys,
doing chocolate mescaline, or I can't remember what it was.
"Oh, who you trying to get crazy with, Ese?
Don't you know, I'm Loco."
Yeah, and that came from that Cypress Hill song.
Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez.
Together again in Marry Me, and we worked in Anaconda,
and I think this movie was about proving
that that chemistry that we showed in Anaconda
wasn't just a fluke.
Owen Wilson, yellow jumpsuit.
That would be Bottle Rocket.
But you know, I've worn a jumpsuit in a lot of movies.
And I feel like it's always a good,
when I see that in my wardrobe,
I feel like it's gonna be a good movie
'cause I wore it in Zoolander and Behind Enemy Lines.
I'm sort of wearing a jumpsuit, a flight suit.
With Jackie Chan, did I have one?
That seems like I would have a jumpsuit,
but they're saying no, but yes.
Canary yellow jumpsuit in Bottle Rocket.
Owen Wilson, haunted house movie.
Well, this is a genre that I'm returning to.
I did The Haunting, and that wasn't wonderfully received.
And so, you know, a lot of people would've maybe shied away
from that genre, but I'm going back
and this time we're gonna get it right.
Although I think it still did well, and it was fun.
There was a good cast on that movie, and I had fun doing it.
Owen Wilson, Boba Fett.
What's the connection there?
I don't know.
I mean I-
- [Producer] Are you gonna be in Star Wars, maybe?
- No, not that I know of, but I like that character.
Boba Fett is like one of the, he's the bounty hunter, right?
Yeah.
So as a kid,
you know that was like one of the cool characters.
Boba Fett.
Great name too.
Boba Fett.
What is Owen Wilson filming?
Right now, I'm in New Orleans,
and we're making a movie called Haunted Mansion.
And what is the source material for this?
Is it a book?
Or is it this?
No, it's actually a ride.
A Disney ride.
What animal does Owen Wilson play in Fantastic Mr. Fox?
I played Coach Skip, I think.
And the name of the game is slap, slap bat
or slap back or hot box?
No, hot box is something we played as kids
where it's like a man in the middle
that you're trying to tag out.
What is Owen Wilson's middle name?
My middle name is Cunningham,
and that's my mom's maiden name.
And Luke and Andrew, my two brothers.
They also have the same middle name.
And you know, when you're like a kid,
and people kind of look up your middle name in school.
So they would kind of, you know, say Richie Cunningham
and stuff.
Kind of make fun of it from Happy Days.
What color are Owen Wilson's eyes?
Blue.
Azure.
Does Owen Wilson play guitar?
No, I don't.
Although in Starsky & Hutch,
they have me kind of playing a a guitar,
and I'm actually on the soundtrack
for Starsky & Hutch singing a David Soul song.
Don't Give Up On Me, Baby, I think.
And actually when I was in Australia,
I remember walking into a bar and hearing like
a song going, god, that voice sounds familiar.
And it was my voice, although I'm not very musical.
And my friend George Deculius,
who did the music on Starsky & Hutch
said that I broke three auto tune machines trying
to get that song right.
Does Owen Wilson have tattoos?
I just have one tattoo that I got in college
on my shoulder, a four leaf clover that says luck.
I wanted it to say lucky.
And then I kind of chickened out and just had it say luck.
Does Owen Wilson sing?
Well, I kind of answered that.
That was part of my guitar answer.
I wish I did sing or wish I did sing well,
but I'll do karaoke.
And if you can't sing that well, you know,
a good karaoke song,
one that I choose Tequila 'cause there isn't much singing.
All you have to do is go Tequila.
Okay.
That's it.
Well, that was just kind of a real walk
down memory lane for me.
And it was great.
Just kind of free styling and kinda moon walking
and you know, going through that.