It’s interesting to think that Owen Wilson never wanted to be an actor, especially since he’s so good at what he does. He’s the kind of guy that’s been in comedies and dramas alike, and even horror to be honest, and he’s been great at every role. But something about writing has called to him more than anything throughout his career and while he can say that he’s taken to acting in some regards there are still films out there that he wishes he could have helped to write. A lot of times you can possibly find actors that will say that if they hadn’t gone into the profession they’re in now they would have done something else, but Owen really didn’t want to be an actor at first. He’s the kind of guy you can look at and possibly think that he’d be fine behind a desk with a typewriter or on screen, just so long as he’s kept busy.
Here are a few things you might not have known about Owen.
10. He cut himself during the making of The Haunting.
In the scene that has him attacking the painting of Hugh Crane with a candlestick he apparently cut himself. Given the number of props that had to be on set it’s not hard to think that a few of them had a few sharp edges that could cut if a person wasn’t watching what they were doing.
9. Owen kind of wishes that he would have stuck to writing rather than acting.
Like I said above, Owen never wanted to become an actor to start with. In fact his whole acting career came off of a conversation he had with someone else about something that might be interesting to do but not necessarily as a career.
8. A lot of his funniest lines in films are improvisations.
He doesn’t always go by the script, which in fact if we’re being honest a lot of the funniest people are guilty of. Robin Williams was one of the biggest improv actors of all time, and it almost always turned out okay. Wilson is the kind of guy that can go off script and make it work pretty well.
7. The appearance of his nose is due to a football injury.
He doesn’t really like to talk about it all that much, but his nose has been broken twice during high school football. A lot of people wonder about his nose since his brothers don’t have this distinctive look, but asking him about it over and over seems kind of rude.
6. He and his brother Luke were supposed to be in Ocean’s 11.
The two of them turned down the roles to star in The Royal Tenenbaum’s instead, a film that was good enough to warrant attention but for some reason doesn’t seem quite as engaging as Ocean’s 11, which was a remake of a great movie and turned out to be pretty popular.
5. Owen reportedly tried to commit suicide once.
This was back in 2007 and he was rushed to the hospital after being discovered. A lot of people might ask what reason a celebrity might have to take their own life, especially since so many of them have fame and money enough for any ten people. But the truth is that they’re human and have issues of their own just like anyone else.
4. At one time he envisioned joining the Marines.
If one of his movies had not gone the way he wanted then he was fully intending to join up with the Marines and become a part of the corps. But obviously things went down a different path and he stuck with acting no matter that it wasn’t what he really wanted to do.
3. He’s suffered from depression for a while.
Throughout his life he’s sought treatment for his depression but as many people can attest to depression isn’t something you just shed like a flu virus. It does eventually creep in and it’s always there no matter what you do. The act of seeking treatment is about as good as it gets most times, but so long as it can be held at bay then it counts as progress.
2. Owen became good friends with Jackie Chan during their movie Shanghai Noon.
The bathtub scene the two men shot allowed them to bond in a way since the whole idea of being so close and the intimacy of it seemed to open them both up in a big way. Up until then they really had nothing to say to each other apparently. But they’re still good friends to this day it sounds like.
1. He’s of the mind that writing is harder than acting.
Personally I would have to disagree since writing is pretty easy so long as you have a shred of talent. But given that some things are easier to some it’s always a matter of where your skill set lies.
For being such a funny guy it’s hard to believe that Owen never wanted to act.
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