OWEN WILSON TALKS ABOUT HIS ROLE IN YOU, ME AND DUPREE

The multi-faceted Owen Wilson has made his mark on Hollywood as an actor, writer and producer for feature films. Last summer, Wilson starred in the smash-hit comedy Wedding Crashers opposite Vince Vaughn.  Prior to that, Wilson starred in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, opposite Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum.  In 2004, Wilson starred with Ben Stiller in Starsky and Hutch, directed by Todd Phillips.
Wilson's previous work with Wes Anderson includes work on Anderson's first film, Bottle Rocket, and The Royal Tenenbaums--both for which Wilson co-wrote and starred--as well his dual role as co-executive producer and co-writer of Anderson's second feature, Rushmore.  He also served as associate producer on the Oscar®-winning film As Good as It Gets.  Wilson's additional acting credits include I Spy, Behind Enemy Lines, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Shanghai Noon and its smash-hit sequel, Shanghai Knights with Jackie Chan, Armageddon, The Minus Man and The Cable Guy.
Wilson will appear this September in The Wendell Baker Story, directed by his brothers Andrew and Luke. 
His latest role is in You, me and DuPree.  Read more about the film   

Who is Dupree?
OWEN: Who is Dupree? Well, in the movie he's Carl's best friend. I play Dupree, and Carl and I have been best friends since we were in the fifth grade. You know how there are some kids that have the pinnacle of their life in high-school. Well Dupree's pinnacle is in seventh grade and since then he's been a free spirit. He hasn't found a job, a career, or his passion in life, so he's living with Carl and Molly. I was kind of inspired for part of my performance, by a dog that we had growing up, a Dalmatian that we had.  My parents wanted to send him to live in a farm, because he was tearing up the furniture and he wasn't house broken. Then, slowly, the dog won my parents over. I think that's kind of a Dupree. He's not very domesticated but he does have that warmth and enthusiasm that sometimes you find in man's best friend.

I was told you had one in your family…and he wasn't the dog.
OWEN: Yeah…There was definitely a little bit of my older brother Andrew in Dupree.
I had a girlfriend in Dallas. We got along well and we found an apartment together and we made it look great. Then my older brother broke up from his marriage and moved in with us. Pretty soon there was a ping-pong table in the living-room and we had a foosball table where the dining-room table should have been.  He parked his motorcycle inside the house. And before you know it my girlfriend had moved out. But I won her back. We got a new apartment and he ended up moving into that and then she left again.  [Laughs.] So a little bit was inspired by that.

What did you say to your brother?
OWEN: Well…blood is thicker than water, and she wasn't the right girl. But then I also had an experience with my other brother Luke, where Luke moved into my house for a year. But I have also been a Dupree. I went to a friend's house in Hawaii. I was supposed to stay with him and his family four days and I stayed four weeks. It became a joke to the family. Every day I'd say "yeah, yeah I am gonna go" and I wouldn't go. By the end, his wife was like "would you like me to give you a ride to the airport?"

You co-wrote some of the lines of your character…did you say the lines you wrote or let your improvisational skills taking over?
OWEN: There was definitely some improvising that went on. But we had a great writer, Michael Le Sieur, and it was his original idea. I would brainstorm with him on some of the script, and some of that stuff found its way into the movie, like the best man patch. It was something I thought was funny. Also the idea of "Carlness" and the speech to the kids about throwing seven different kinds of smoke…

What is your Owen..ness, then?
OWEN:  I think I am a little bit like Dupree. Hopefully I have kind of a joie de vivre, maybe not as much as Dupree. But that's the great thing about Dupree, it's that he does have this sort of great enthusiasm. He's a free spirit.  Even Molly starts to like having him around.

Did you get your call from "the mother ship?"
OWEN:  When did I really hear from the mother ship?  It's when I got kicked out of school, when I was sixteen and I went to Military School…The mother ship did not tell me what I was supposed to do, but she told me what I was not supposed to go into the military.  I don't think I would have been a really good soldier.

Is that the reason you are a self-proclaimed troublemaker?
OWEN: [Laughs.] Well it's just because in high-school I was expelled and I would get into trouble as a kid. But it was more like 'Tom Sawyer' type troubles. It wasn't like being a juvenile delinquent.

So you like sports. In the film you find in cycling a "motivation."  Do you like bike riding?
OWEN: Oh yes, very much.

Do you ride often?
OWEN: No, I don't. I had two bikes that were stolen last summer at the beach and I just recently bought two more to replace them. I love riding the bike. When I am in Europe, I always do it. I was just in Amsterdam and in Rome and, when I am there, I always rent a bike.  It's the best way to get around and see the city.

Did you go for work or pleasure?
OWEN: Just on vacation. I love Rome. If I could live any place I think I might live in Rome.

I quote you: "I think Matt and I both had a crush on Kate Hudson. You kind of can't help it. She's hot, has a great sense of humor and is just plain cool."
OWEN:  Yes, yes…I think we both had a crush on her. But it wasn't just Matt and I. I think the directors did, the people on the crew did. I was just trying to figure it out and I thing that what it is, of course she is very pretty, but also she's always laughing and smiling, so she makes you feel good. She makes you feel like "Wow, I am really being funny today"…then you realize she's like that with everybody. Besides, she's a great mother, she has this cute little kid that she brings on set and he kind of lifts everybody's spirit. So she just was great to have around.

So it's true that you guys compete for her attention, as the directors said?
OWEN: Did they really say that? [Laughs.] Maybe there was an element of that. Matt and I would hang around because we are guys and we watch sports, go out and do stuff. And Kate was a little bit like Dupree with us. [Laughs.] Sometimes Kate was like the third wheel. She'd say "what are we gonna do tonight," and we'd say "well Matt and I are gonna go out tonight…Sorry." [Laughs.]

Was it complicated to work with two directors?
OWEN: I thought they were great, but it's funny because they didn't always agree. In fact they disagreed a lot, which is to be expected, because that's how I am with my brothers. But, on the important things, they would be in agreement.

Like Dupree, are you looking for your Audrey Hepburn?
OWEN: I think I can find her in Rome…near the Spanish steps.  I'll have a little Vespa, and we'll ride into the sunset together, and live happily every after. [Laughs.]

Sounds familiar, like Roman Holiday. You once said that it is your lack of focus that makes your relationships go south.  Is that true?                                     
OWEN: I think sometimes that's true. But, I have been working a lot in the past five years. I'm always traveling and it's hard to maintain a relationship if you aren't with the person. So, in that sense, it was difficult. And if I have a girlfriend here in California, and I am in Rome, how am I going to meet the little girl on the Vespa? I won't be available. I have to make myself available.

What's Dupree doing?  Crashing newlyweds?!
OWEN: [Laughs.] Well, last year I was crashing weddings, this year I am crashing on a friend's couch. I don't know which one is better. They are both very fun to do.

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