Extended interview: Owen Wilson on his journey to becoming an actor and more

[Music] welcome I'm Tracy Smith and this is Here Comes the Sun a closer look at some of the people places and things we bring you every weekend on Sunday morning Owen Wilson's singular style doesn't limit his range he started everything from blockbusters to rom-coms but as he told our Ben mankowitz it was a momentous math test that put him on a path to fame Wilson never thought about acting in school school in fact was a bit of a challenge his high school expelled him I got kicked out for Cheating in Geometry I was the only kid that was caught that was kind of called in Wilson could have saved himself if he'd been willing to identify the other kids involved you wouldn't name that I didn't name names so offy went at 16 to the New Mexico Military Institute I did pretty well I got good grades and like all these things it ends up being a better story later in the show Owen Wilson's filmography as ranked by his kids do your kids Zoolander want to talk about Zoolander uh yeah um my nine-year-old he said that was his favorite of the movies that I've done he said liked you me and Dupree and Zoolander and then uh my 12 year old he said he says bottle rocket but that's nice yeah yeah that suggests he's got a little well it makes me think like does he just kind of know me and no that's the one that's going to make me feel the best it doesn't matter either way it's either way either way then Connor Knighton gets a front row seat to a week-long festival that started as a cross-country ski race but became a celebration the American birkabiner is the largest cross-country ski race in the country and the enthusiasm here is contagious we all got the Berkey fever and it's just the excitement that builds about not only the race but the whole event of Berkey week the official burkabiner race Berkey for short could fly by in a couple of hours for the most elite skiers the leading up to the main event there are days of activities that's all coming up right here on Here Comes the Sun Owen Wilson May dislike talking about himself but he had plenty to tell Ben mankowitz about his films the characters he plays and his journey to the Silver Screen the Rolling Stones yeah Rembrandt would be he could be like Sinatra while the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles is an unlikely haunt for a Hollywood star a van Gogh Owen Wilson is not your average a-lister now look at this color here yeah there's something that inhibits me from talking about a painting on camera right because I just I can't get over that in person or on screen you'll show my novel to Gertrude Stein got self-e-facing charm is undeniable it even started to say brush strokes and I was like don't say pressure Wilson continues to carve out of varied movie career do you some guy take cat to be a lawfully wedded wife as a romantic lead [Music] ing movies and his signature comedies we even shot one of these things before the whole 17 years we've known each other I've been sneaking off to go on little hunting trips around the world no I don't even know what the the quail is whether it's an Uninvited Guest with Vince Vaughn and Wedding Crashers [Music] or engaging in a dance-off with Ben Stiller in Zoolander [Applause] don't worry it's not rocket science his latest is paint it's harder PBS Burlington off deep comedy where Wilson plays a painter hosting a TV show at a PBS station in Vermont Carl is one-dimensional and very sexist you know I don't care what people say about me the work and the success remain a bit of a surprise to him I definitely consider myself lucky making a living doing something creative that seems incredible incredible but not improbable for a kid raised around the Arts in Dallas his mother is a photographer his father like Wilson's latest character has a PBS connection we have to move right into our programming which is after all all that really counts running the first PBS station in the states to air a show featuring a certain British comedy trip they were the first station to carry Monty Python years later I met Terry Gilliam and he said you know we're incredibly grateful your dad gave us a big break Wilson never thought about acting in school school in fact was a bit of a challenge his high school expelled him I got kicked out for Cheating in Geometry I was the only kid that was caught that was kind of called in Wilson could have saved himself if he'd been willing to identify the other kids involved you wouldn't name that I didn't name names so off he went at 16 to the New Mexico Military Institute I did pretty well I got good grades and like all these things it ends up being a better story he ended up in college at the University of Texas where a friend from military school introduced him to another student without that thing happening then you know Wes and I probably don't become friends Wes is writer director Wes Anderson who became Wilson's roommate at Texas and his lifelong friend they've made eight movies together including the Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel not long after college they co-wrote their first feature bottle rocket with Anderson directing and Wilson playing the league [Music] oh did you hear that I did Bottle Rock and people started hiring me and it was like well you know it took a little bit a few movies before I could sort of accept or say I guess this is what I do I'm an actor yeah I guess I'm an actor as an actor Wilson with his unique boyish good looks and those blonde locks soon morphed into a scene stealer prone to ad-lib like this bit here in Meet the Parents with Robert De Niro who was clearly impressed I'd love to find time to do some volunteer work just the other day I saw this golden retriever that he had like a with a paw was uh hurt broke my heart Owen Wilson is entirely comfortable discussing his characters talking about himself is a different story why are you guarded with your emotions has he always been that way I think it's well I think just growing up in Dallas to have said you wanted to be an actor and be in movies would have sounded like okay yeah me too and then I want to go win the lottery after that it would have just sounded ridiculous that guardedness is understandable in 2007 came a widely reported story that Wilson had attempted suicide he doesn't discuss it publicly but he has said that his family played a big role in his recovery his older brother Andrew moved in with him for a bit after he left the hospital he's still clearly a big influence that's a great feeling when you've got some backup and my older brother has continued always to be kind of you know somebody who's helped me a lot the Wilson Brothers Andrew Owen and Luke also a successful actor are still close you know it's like that Paul Simon song with the boys the troops late in the evening yeah and what draws you to places like this there is something about going into a museum that is just sort of a little bit meditative it's also like going to like a church or a cathedral you kind of feel good afterwards the museum brings in peace of mind and perhaps a little inspiration for his latest film is that Rembrandt well this reminds me of that app where it matches you to an old classic it's never very flattering and I'll be like really that's that's that's the lightness for me I mean the hair Carl hair that's Coral norgol yeah goal is Wilson's character in paint that tree is probably too tall embrace yourself you are going to get some calls clearly inspired by Bob Ross who hosted a PBS painting show for 11 years starting in 1983. let's have another one maybe he lives right there he's slow soothing voice and permed hair have remained ubiquitous on the internet did you watch Bob Ross yeah but I can't quite do an imitation just take it all in Wilson didn't get Ross's voice down but he got Ross's Essence and he made the character funny how is everything excuse me it's good good thing which is what Owen Wilson has been doing since he was a kid you're entitled to your favorite TV show what makes this country great you think you're a good actor um I don't think that I'm you know good uh I do think there's some yeah I think there's some parts that I that I think I can play well yeah well I got news for you you're a good actor up next an exclusive excerpt from Owen Wilson's chat [Music] you can only see right here on CBS News streaming stay with us as promised here's more from Ben mankowitz and Owen Wilson your parents seem very interesting I had some interesting parents so I like interesting parents they but how did they uh how would you assess the manner in which they shaped you yeah um I think that you know I think one of the big things was you know kind of having dinners as a family and then my dad just had great friends you know that would come over and so it was kind of you know sitting there and kind of hearing these kind of smart funny guys and um women and you know we all kind of kind of idolize my dad a little bit and um and so it would just really kind of pay attention uh and he had a you know great sense of humor and they did interesting things do your kids Zoolander want to talk about Zoolander uh yeah um my nine-year-old he said that was his favorite of the movies that I've done he said he liked uh you mean Dupree and Zoolander and then uh my 12 year old he said um he says bottle rocket but uh that's nice yeah yeah that suggests he's got a little well it makes me think like is he just kind of know me and no that's the one that's going to make me feel the best it doesn't matter either way it's either way right either way either he's being a really thoughtful guy based on his other viewing if I was to do an algorithm bottle rocket is standing out in other movies uh Wedding Crashers too old for them it's probably I haven't seen Wedding Crashers uh have they seen me at the parents uh I don't know if they've seen Meet the Parents I'm not sure they've seen you know the night at the museums they like that care I like that character Jedediah Wedding Crashers is an incredibly funny movie yeah yeah yeah I I mean I I think you know we were really lucky with um well I just think Vince you know I think he's so funny and and we just yeah you were gifted you feel like you guys have a similar manner of being funny yeah I don't think that I have a similar I have you know just a big appreciation just for I just think he's you know one of the funniest people and that could be just in real life too if I was you know walking around in a museum with Vince he's going to say some stuff that I'm going to remember and right want to write down um and just has a funny Manner and then Will Ferrell um also and um you know his character and that um I thought was yeah it was great so you're doing Loki but but if you mentioned you mentioned you know I really like that character actually yeah the character Mobius uh that I play on Loki uh and I loved working with Tom Hiddleston and you know talk about someone um you know he went to Cambridge and you know can uh if you want to sit around and you know what's this Shakespeare he'll be able to you know he'll be able to dial it up and he's also just has that incredible uh you know politeness and but really hard-working you sort of I I'm kidded about with Tom Hiddleston you kind of see kind of okay yeah that's how that little island nation kind of built an Empire they had like you know they have that Keith Richards type you know and then they have you know that Tom Hiddleston type kind of we're talking about you know I you know not really seeing myself as a fighter pilot but I do see myself kind of you know that kind of um you know in that genre of kind of a detective do you have some freedom in that when you come up with yeah yeah um and they kind of you know we just finished season two um that we shot in London and you know a month before we kind of were rehearsing and working on you know the scripts I think it was in that that Esquire piece maybe it was in something else but I like that when you you doing the press for Loki and you're like why why is everybody asking me like either like what can you do this you don't know anything about the Marvel Universe and you were like no no I but I know so and then you're like actually maybe I don't yeah well no the one that I you know they were asking me in the article dude do you know everyone was seeming to say oh I don't know anything about Marvel movies and I was like that's not true I do you know my kids were just watching Aquaman so I watched Aquaman and and I actually got into an argument with them about like How could somebody swim in blue jeans like that's the worst thing like you know and uh they were like well Dad he's gonna I go yeah but I I mean right there they lose me uh and so um and then I guess Aquaman isn't even a Marvel movie that's a DC uh maybe you don't know yeah so maybe I don't know that much about it up next an American event inspired by Norwegian history welcome back each year thousands of athletes and enthusiasts descend on a small community in Wisconsin for the largest and as Connor Knighton shows us what just might be the most entertaining cross-country ski race in the country [Music] each winter thousands of cross-country skiers from all across the world travel to the North Woods of Wisconsin to travel more than 30 miles between the towns of cable and Hayward the American burkabiner is the largest cross-country ski race in the country and the enthusiasm here is contagious we all got the Berkey fever and it's just the excitement that builds about not only the race but the whole event of Berkey week the official burkabiner race Berkey for short could fly by in a couple of hours for the most elite skiers the leading up to the main event there are days of activities there are shorter races for children foreign lovers ski with their pets teams of six compete in giant ski races it's kind of like Comic-Con for athletes is how I'm looking at it Jackie and dandaroma are Avid skiers Jackie has skied the Berkey four times Dan 17 but for this year's race they wanted to do things a little differently these other Racers are going to be in spandex Gore-Tex you know what are you gonna be wearing full on fur [Applause] Jackie Dan and Dan's Father Jim were selected to be mascots of sorts skiing the entire course on wooden skis dressed as Norwegian folk Heroes all while carrying a baby doll it's a tradition with roots and a far older history foreign [Music] as portrayed in the film The Last King in the early 13th century Norway was in the middle of a civil war after King Hogan III died members of the birkavainer faction skied his son the heir to the throne through the woods to safety [Music] cheer in Wisconsin three skiers reenact the rescue I think the the fact that there is this real story about an event that now you're recreating it I think that's pretty darn cool and pretty special and I think it resonates with a lot of people Ben pop is the executive director of the American burkabiner which is modeled after a Norwegian race there every competitor skis with a baby weight backpack to honor the Warriors journey of course you may be asking yourself why is this crazy Norwegian history have anything to do with Hayward Wisconsin in the middle of Northwestern Wisconsin nowhere it all came down to one man Tony wise Tony wise was born in Hayward and was a born marketer after serving in World War II he decided to bring the competitive skiing he observed in Europe back home to Wisconsin a place where a Scandinavian ancestry is common as a way to encourage tourism his first Berkey race held 50 years ago had just 35 participants most of whom had never crossed country skied before I swore up and down after that first I would never do anything so foolish again but Germaine is the only competitor who's participated in every single race but there are more than 2 000 athletes who have appeared in 20 or more contests which can turn into grueling all-day endeavors the Berkey attracts skiers of varying ages and ability levels they're really gonna discover who you are it's one of the toughest Marathon courses in the world so let yourself kind of Glide a little there you go that challenge is what attracts Elite skiers like Olympian Caitlyn Gregg who's won the women's race a record-setting five times the Berkey course is unlike any other ski course that we get to race not only here in the United States but also in around the world and I think that it's terrain is so unique and so challenging that people just myself included love that aspect of it the race itself has faced challenges posed by warmer Winters in recent decades it's been canceled twice due to lack of snow it's really important that we look at climate change and weather because if we don't have it well it's a big loss the event provides a major boost for the local economy this town of fewer than 3 000 residents hosts close to 40 000 Spectators on race day hayward's Main Street overflows with cheering fans caught up in Berkey fever for which the only prescription is more cowbell [Music] the church bells signal the arrival of the first finisher David Norris won this year's men's race with a commanding lead Caitlyn Gregg came in third in the women's division but the biggest cheers of the day were reserved for the deromas nearly seven hours after leaving the starting line they skied onto Main Street and swapped out the baby doll for an actual baby their daughter Clara played the part of Prince hoken for the final few blocks the burkebiners saved the day until they do it all again next year [Music] I'm Tracy Smith thanks for joining us we'll see you here next time on Here Comes the Sun foreign

Channel: CBS Sunday Morning

Views: 72,615

Keywords: owen wilson, movie, theater, acting, actors, hollywood, Wilson brothers, owen wilson paint, owen wilson bob ross, owen wilson movies, owen wilson interview

Id: K2DNOz4lDho

Length: 21min 56sec (1316 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 25 2023