Happy 45th birthday to Owen Wilson, the blondest, nose-iest man in the business. The brother to Luke Wilson and former college roommate of Wes Anderson (oh, the perfectly quaint ragers they must have hosted!) has forged his own broad brand of success throughout his career, making himself an Andersonian mainstay, a tenant of the comedy world and sometimes something a little in between.
Wilson’s career took off with Bottle Rocket, the film he co-wrote with Anderson and starred in with his brother Luke in 1996. The film was also Anderson’s directorial debut, making it an all-around launching pad for the group. Though a commerical bomb, the film was a critical darling and clearly drew attention to their many talents. Most importantly, it sealed a creative collaboration with Anderson that has lasted until today. As Eli Cash in The Royal Tenenbaums, he showed a fragile and complex character that provided a stark contrast from his much-beloved comedy work. Roles in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited only further proved this range.
Which is not to say that his comedy should somehow be discounted. As the “so hot right now” Hansel in 2001’s Zoolander, he was both a foil to Ben Stiller’s titular supermodel, and a scene-stealer in his own right — anyone who can ride a razor scooter while wearing snakeskin pants and not look totally ridiculous is doing a really good job. In Wedding Crashers, as a reformed terrible person who decides that sneaking into receptions to pick up desperate women isn’t worth it anymore if you can have Rachel McAdams, he provides some actual depth and empathy to a character you should otherwise find repulsive.
In 2011, he became the latest man to serve as Woody Allen’s surrogate in Midnight in Paris, in which a struggling writer decides that he’s had it with modern Paris (and this time an awful Rachel McAdams!) and magically gets transported back to the roaring 20s for some good old inspiration with his favorite authors in their prime.
In the coming year, Wilson’s got another Anderson flick coming down the pipeline — The Grand Budapest Hotel –and a slew of other projects in post-production. And of course, there’s always that rumored Zoolander 2 hanging over our heads. When is Hansel never hot right now?
