MAG: Luke Wilson on cover of FREEWHEELIN' (Can) [transcript]
Pamela T. Pon
a Toronto magazine I found at Printer's Inc. in Mountain View, CA
(apparently the only store in three Bay Area counties that carries the
DEEP SPACE NINE calendar! >;-( Inside are a fashion spread with 4
full-page and 2 smaller photos, and an article in which TXF is not
mentioned at all. ;-( Nevertheless, I thought it worth transcribing for
the Sheriff Hartwell fans and Texans among us. ;-) For those who want
hardcopies of these gorgeous photos for themselves, the magazine can be
contacted at:
FREEWHEELIN' MAGAZINE
296 Richmond Street West #302
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1X2
(416) 591-3733
www.freewheelin.com
My asides/edits are in []; the author's are in {}. Strange comma
placements and punctuation floating outside of quotation marks (?!)
are the author's, not mine. ;-)
===> cover
[photo: overhead shot of LW's head & shoulders, lying atop a white-sheeted
bed (the bed from page 36?), smiling warmly, wearing a white shirt with
collar unbuttoned and tie flung to the side/over his shoulder]:
Luke Wilson is wearing a Dries Van Noten shirt and pants
[why tell us this if the pic is only from the shoulders up???]
with a Giorgio Armani tie. []
<===
===> p. 6
[photo: full-length shot of LW in white shirt with unbuttoned collar,
loose tie, and a dark suit, walking down a sidewalk with his shoulders
slightly hunched and hands in his pockets, looking perplexed]:
Gucci suit with Dries Van Noten shirt and Yohji Yamamoto tie.
Valentino shoes.
<===
===> p. 8
From the Editor
[...]
Luke Wilson is living proof that you can in fact make it in Hollywood
and remain a great person with a realistic sense of self.
<===
===> p. 36-42
[photo: full-page shot from the lap up of LW sitting atop an unmade motel
bed, wearing the white shirt from the cover photo with the collar & cuffs
still unbuttoned, knotting/unknotting his tie with both hands, smirking at
the camera. Hair slightly mussed, as if he just sat up after lying down
on the bed for the cover photo. Metal-banded diving watch worn on his
right wrist -- is he left-handed?]:
Dries Van Noten shirt and pants, Giorgio Armani tie.
[photo: full-page: crouching poolside, squeezing water out of a soaking
wet towel into the motel pool while looking back & up over his shoulder,
raising his eyebrows, and opening his mouth as if about to speak to
someone off-camera. White pinstriped shirt with collar unbuttoned,
dark suit, velcro black&white-striped "flip flops" on bare feet.]:
Jil Sander suit with Raf Simons shirt. Adidas flip flops.
[photo: full page: LW perched on a seedy ("Special Weekly Rate") motel's
2nd-floor walkway *outside* the metal safety fence, only the heels of his
shoes resting on the ledge, toes hanging over the edge. He's reaching
behind him to hold onto the fence with fingers outspread, looking down
at the concrete below with furrowed brow, as if contemplating jumping.
Wearing black pullover sweater, black leather jacket, black boots, & black
dress pants. Although the pants are cut to hang loosely, because of his
pose (butt outside the fence that his hands are reaching back to grasp),
the fabric is drawn tightly enough over certain parts of his anatomy to,
uh, tell left from right. 8-) What a pity the photographer is standing
so far away ...]:
Donna Karan jacket over Paul Smith sweater. Raf Simons pants.
Costume National boots.
[photo: full-page: leaning back against a first-story window, half-perched
on the air conditioning unit protruding out underneath the window, legs
spread to brace himself, aiming a stream of water from the gun-style
nozzle of a garden hose, holding the nozzle in a two-handed firing stance
& squinting at his off-camera target, baring his teeth. Same diving watch
on right wrist. Hair slightly mussed. Black shirt, black tie with white
pinstripes, black suit, and black shoes]:
Helmut Lang suit. Yohji Yamamoto tie. Valentino shoes.
[photo: small, chest-up view of LW sitting against a red metal fence,
leaning his head back against the fence, eyes closed, laughing. His right
hand rests on his upfolded knee, holding an open bottle of Jack Daniels.
White shirt with unbuttoned collar, black suit, loose black tie.
Same fashion credits as on page 6.]
With the back-to-back releases of HOME FRIES, DOG PARK and RUSHMORE,
actor Luke Wilson is set to score a movie hat trick. Editor/Publisher
Jonathan Bogo caught up with Luke in L.A. to talk about keeping success
in perspective while zooming down the road from Texas to the Big Time.
The Original
LUKE
Wilson
Photographed by Jerry Avenaim.
Styled by Daisy Kramer for Next, Los Angeles.
Grooming by Shawn Towne for Next, Los Angeles.
Typically, what happens in movieland is the following: Struggling Young
Actor finds his way into edgy, low-budget production. Low-budget
production gets picked up by Miramax, putting Struggling Young Actor's
name on the lips of every fast-talking cell-phone jockey within 40 miles
of Hollywood. Buzz transforms Struggling Young Actor into Really Cool
Young Actor, and said transformation lands him well-paying job opposite
different, more-seasoned Really Cool Young Actor in a much larger
production than Struggling Young Actor could have ever hoped for.
At this point, the story takes a turn for the worse: Rave reviews of new
film transform him into Really Cool Famous Young Actor and it's not long
before he drives his German sports-car into a swimming pool leaving in
his wake forgotten friends, a drug problem, and a long list of failed
relationships. Court order forces scandal-plagued Really Cool Famous
Young Actor into rehab, where he spends hours in therapy in an attempt to
get in touch with the struggling young actor he used to be, so the Really
Cool Young Famous Guy he is now can recapture his passion for acting.
It's a standard story, but occasionally there is an exception to
the rule. Luke Wilson (a genuinely cool young actor) is proof that even
after you've come to Hollywood, even after you've played an integral part
of an exciting independent film, even if you'll soon be starring in three
highly-anticipated films, and even if you're dating a beautiful young
woman who is sought after by thousands, even if you make it -- and I
mean make it big -- you don't have to become a dick.
Luke Wilson made his first appearance on the big screen in pal Wes
Anderson's quirky comedy BOTTLE ROCKET. Since the critical success of the
small independent film, Wilson has found his way into numerous process
which have him poised to join the ranks of A-list actors in Hollywood.
Anyone at this year's Toronto International Film Festival couldn't have
missed Wilson's hat-trick; HOME FRIES, DOG PARK, and RUSHMORE, all
featured Wilson. HOME FRIES [] puts Wilson opposite his real-life
girlfriend, Drew Barrymore, in a wacky small-town love story. A month
before its release, there is already speculation amongst movie-making
insiders that the film will see some hefty box-office success. DOG PARK,
from Canadian director Bruce McCulloch of THE KIDS IN THE HALL [Yay! ;-],
sends Wilson on yet another zany ride down the daunting road that is the
search for true love. RUSHMORE, Wes Anderson's highly-anticipated second
major directorial attempt, puts Wilson in a supporting role opposite
Bill Murray in one of the movie's funniest and most memorable scenes.
Luke Wilson walks cautiously into Swingers exactly on time for the
interview. Swingers is the casual diner of choice for the young and hip
in West Hollywood. Clad in a leather jacket, nice shirt, khaki pants
and a pair of Adidas flip-flops, he looks around for a few moments and
then very slowly sits down in a chair near the front of the restaurant,
arms neatly folded on his lap. Nothing about Wilson is hurried or
frantic. He is cordial and polite and greets me with an air of Southern
friendliness. His breakfast is your typical staple eggs, sausage,
and home fries washed down with a variety of blended fruit juices.
The interview proceeds more like a casual conversation than a
journalistic interrogation. Luke is aware that starring in three great
movies is sure to improve his stature as an actor. Yet the 27-year-old
Texas-born actor comes across as unaffected by the success that's
quickly approaching -- he's naturally laid-back and good-natured.
When I tell him I have in fact, seen RUSHMORE [], Luke seems almost
surprised. When he talks about the film, it's clear he loves it.
We enthusiastically begin to trade re-enactments of our favourite scenes.
All of a sudden I realize my interview has turned into one of those,
"Oh, oh! Remember the part when..." conversations.
Luke has been dating Drew Barrymore, his HOME FRIES co-star,
for a little while now, so as far as the public knows, it seems as though
now that this modest actor has a few big movies coming out he's got this
big-time Hollywood actress for a girlfriend. But as he tells the story of
how he and Barrymore got together, he manages to take away the Hollywood
glitz, and normalize it, making it accessible on a very basic level.
I feel like I'm sitting in a local truck stop, listening to the manager
explain how he came to be dating the manicure specialist from the beauty
salon across the street. I am beginning to learn that Luke Wilson has
a very pure and basic way of looking at the world, a view that seems
simplistic at first, but becomes more sensible with each tale he tells.
Wilson was first introduced to Barrymore at a party, by their
mutual acquaintance Tamra Davis. At the time, Barrymore already had a
boyfriend, and Luke was just coming out of a four-month relationship
that had fizzled, and he asked her out for a beer. He now admits that
he probably didn't have the most innocent of intentions at the time,
but he became good friends with the young actress, and they spent more
and more time together until eventually, the relationship turned romantic.
Wilson describes the innocent time they spent together as being like an
1880s-style courtship.
Recently, Luke signed on with superstar agent Nick Styne at the ICM
agency, but strangely enough, the superstar agent, the superstar girlfriend,
and all the films he has coming out have caused very little change in his
lifestyle. Luke Wilson, his brother, actor Owen Wilson, and Director Wes
Anderson are all exploding talents. A few year ago the three moved from
Texas to L.A. and took a house together. They still share the same house.
Luke was raised in Texas with older brothers Owen and Andrew.
The Wilson parents were originally from Massachusetts but moved to Dallas
to raise their family. "Me and Owen were probably closest because we hung
out all the time together." Owen Wilson, seen recently as the cowboy
roughneck in ARMAGEDDON, played a pivotal role in brother Luke's early
social life. "When I was growing up I had all of these ready-made friends
that my brother was hanging out with." Luke explains the two brothers
were always outdoors. "We had a little group we called The Explorers.
We were really into going out and going down creeks. We were also
fascinated with climbing on other people's roof-tops."
Without realizing it, Luke and Owen first started climbing towards
acting careers in the privacy of their living room, where their biggest fan
was their father. "I never really thought about it as acting at the time.
We lived on this street called Farquhor, and after dinner we would do these
little skits which were usually imitations of my dad. It got to be where
it was one of his favourite things. Whenever he had his friends over he'd
have us come out and do these skits. He named us 'The Farquhor Players'.
He had this really thick Boston accent and we would make fun of how
people in Texas would react to it. There was this really tough barbecue
joint in Dallas called Sonny Brian's, and he would go in there and it
was like he was speaking Swahili. He'd say {putting on a Boston accent}
'I'll have a Heineken please' and they'd say {putting on a thick Texas
accent} 'We got Bud, Bud Light, Coors, and Coors light.'"
Luke attended a strict boys' school where tough academic standards
and a starched uniform were part of the daily routine. During his 7th and
8th grades, Luke began making VHS movies for his drama class. He recalls
how at the time he had a particular fascination with CUJO, which served as
the basis for one of his projects. While in hindsight these endeavours
look like an example of a career found early on in life, Luke had not yet
chosen acting as his life's work. "I wasn't knocked out thinking this is
the beginning of what I'm going to do with my life. At that time I had no
idea what I was going to do with my future. I remember early on I always
thought that I wanted to be an architect. But I turned out to be so bad at
math that I tossed that dream." Luke graduated from high school with not
so much as inkling that his eventual occupation was right under his nose.
After High School, Luke enrolled in a liberal arts college. It
wasn't until his brother Owen met up with Wes Anderson at the University
of Texas, (and the two wrote the script for BOTTLE ROCKET) that Luke would
seize onto acting as his life's work. BOTTLE ROCKET has become one of the
films aspiring young filmmakers look to for inspiration when they're trying
to realize their own independent movie-making dreams. The film has become
a cult classic, and if you haven't seen it, you must. The movie takes a
comedic look at the bumbling antics of three wanna-be criminals who just
can't cut it in the crime world. "I always credit them with persevering,
continuing to take the steps to get the thing made. [] Once the script
was written they made a short film. I remember people were like,
'What the hell are you doing? What is a short film?' I was kind of that
way myself. I remember saying, 'Guys, THIS isn't a movie.' But they just
kept taking these steps." To make the short they used film stock left
over from brother Andrew's corporate videos, and scraped together money
bit by bit from wherever they could get it. The short was the beginning
of BOTTLE ROCKET and starred Luke and Owen as the main characters.
They entered the film into the Sundance Film Festival and it
was accepted into the shorts program. "Nothing happened there really.
[] Nobody came along and said, 'hey do you want to make a feature?'
We were definite outsiders there. We couldn't get into any movies and
nobody wanted to talk to us. All we ended up doing was skiing -- but it
was the best skiing I've ever done in my life." Somehow the short and
the script made their way to Barbara Boyle and then to Holly Platt,
who was veteran producer James L. Brooks's partner at the time.
"James L. Brooks liked the short, so he came to Texas for a visit
and we were all really nervous and scared. Here was this big guy coming
to Texas. Owen, Wes, and myself were sharing a house at the time,
and he wanted to see where we lived. Our house was just a disaster.
My dad called it Delta Farqu -- the fraternity no one would take.
The gas heater had a leak so we were always kind of woozy whenever we were
at home. There was constant fighting and there was stuff everywhere.
So when James Brooks came he just stood there and was like, 'Wow.'
He kept just saying 'Wow' everywhere he went in the house." Despite
the young guys' decrepit domicile, Brooks embraced the film project,
and Anderson and the Wilson brothers along with it. His first move was
to have Owen and Wes come out to L.A. to work on the script with him.
Since Owen and Wes would be working on the script in L.A. for
about six months, Luke dropped out of college and went to live with them,
and just hang out. He says he had no big acting plans when he came to
the West Coast. "When I got to LA, I completely lost focus. This place
was just flooded with actors. It was like the NFL; it was something I
loved to watch. I dreamt about it, but I never thought it was something
I could do." Brooks took the project to Columbia Pictures where he had
a deal. And as is so often the case, the studio wanted to replace the
young Texans with, as they put it, "real actors". But Brooks supported
the young film-makers' original wish to write, direct, and act in the film,
and he lobbied Columbia and used his clout to ensure the young visionaries
would have their day.
So all of a sudden the three young dudes from Texas found
themselves in key roles on a multi-million-dollar film shoot. "That first
day on the set we were in a hotel, getting picked up and taken to work
where there were like, 60 people around and a whole bunch of 18-wheelers.
It became obvious that the whole situation had gotten kind of serious,
almost like the whole thing had got a bit out of hand. I remember looking
to Owen and saying, 'Holy shit, this is pretty scary,' and him being just
very intense-looking. It was like going to war, where you say 'this guy's
going to have to do his thing, and I'm just going to have to do my thing.'"
After awhile the Owens [sic] eased into the whole process. They were lucky
in that they had a great crew who rallied behind them. "The shoot really
did have this group feeling, and I felt that people were giving their best
effort and being encouraging towards me. I think they knew it was our
first time and that we were nervous and really wanted to do a good job."
BOTTLE ROCKET got great reviews, but never really cashed-in, due in part,
Luke says, to movie-goers' reluctance to try out a movie with a bunch of
unknowns, coupled with the lack of advertizing support the film received
from Columbia. The movie, however has subsequently gained a loyal cult
following through its release on video.
Luke may have found a lucky break into his first lead role, but
his second round of success would take some time and a lot of struggle.
Between BOTTLE ROCKET and his recent films, Luke had to endure a number of
dry spells which took their toll on the struggling actor. "I did BOTTLE
ROCKET, and then I just couldn't get a job. I was going out on auditions,
but I always kind of felt that I was a little bit different than what
everyone was looking for. I totally got discouraged at one point. I was
having so much trouble for a little while that I just gave up. I stopped
going on auditions because I just didn't see the point in going across town
to waste all that time reading for something I wasn't going to get. It
wasn't really a winner's attitude. And I felt for a while like there was
nothing on the horizon." Luke's difficulty with his acting career affected
his perception of where he was living. "At one point I was really down
on L.A., and I got this theory in my head that every crazy in the country
somehow wound up here -- that they all got just pushed to the edge of the
country." But in the end persistence paid off, and he has put together
three great performances in a row which are sure to keep his calendar
filled.
These days Luke Wilson is happy and enjoying his life and his
success. He has completed the transformation from a struggling young actor
to one of Hollywood's most promising talents, while keeping his character
intact. "I would love to make some great movies. My main goal is to work
with people who I really like. I like the idea that I have this group
{Wes and Owen} where we work together, and I'd like to keep doing that.
I know how I want to be treated. I believe that you do get back what you
give. I've tried this out. Sometimes when I get on an elevator I'll
say nothing and no one speaks to each other. Other times I'll get on an
elevator and say hello and I'll start talking to people. It may sound
hokey, but it feels nice when you develop a little fellowship with the
other people around you. You have to stay happy and positive because
there's so much you can be bummed-out about. I feel like some people get
into a dead-end job -- and I don't mean a desk job, I mean the kind of
job you're just not into -- and the next thing you know, five years have
gone by and that's it. That's your life. My girlfriend makes fun of me
when I say I'm just trying to make a living at doing something I love.
I'm sure my kids will refer to me as just 'The Working Man.'"
<===
* Wednesday on DUE SOUTH: "A Cop, a Mountie, and a Baby" * 4 pm on TNT *
Coleen Sullivan-Baier
Speaking of Luke Wilson, did "Homefries" bomb?? I think it was at the Showcase Cinema for
maybe ten minutes.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXgizzieXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meg: random groupie
Sullivan-Baier <giz...@ix.netcom.com> muttered...
> Speaking of Luke Wilson, did "Homefries" bomb?? I think it was at the Showcase Cinema for
>maybe ten minutes.
I'd have to say yes. It lasted all of two-three weeks here...but it
was crushed to once-a-day showings. It got some lousy reviews and next
to no buzz...but they showed a *lot* of commercials for it on random
cable channels.
I spotted a marquee advertising "Home Fries" on the Biography thing
last night, though...
I am not who I am-
Meg
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"I'm in a canoe with two wounded mounties and
the rats are mocking me!" (Ray, Due South)
http://www.pine-scented.com/snerk/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Barbara Ruef
>
> So...I hear that on Wed, 30 Dec 1998 13:18:01 GMT, Coleen
> Sullivan-Baier <giz...@ix.netcom.com> muttered...
>
> > Speaking of Luke Wilson, did "Homefries" bomb?? I think it was at the
> > Showcase Cinema for maybe ten minutes.
>
> I'd have to say yes. It lasted all of two-three weeks here...but it
> was crushed to once-a-day showings. It got some lousy reviews and next
> to no buzz...but they showed a *lot* of commercials for it on random
> cable channels.
Well, I went to see it, mostly in support of Vince and his talent.
You have to keep in mind this was an early work of his...but despite
that, I found it rather entertaining. Plus, Luke Wilson has an
incredible screen presence so he made it more than watchable. He's
a talent (also see Bottle Rocket). Also, I think Roger Ebert gave
it three stars but that's the only review I ever read so I'm not
sure if it was embraced by the other critics.
Pamela T. Pon
>Well, I went to see it, mostly in support of Vince and his talent.
>You have to keep in mind this was an early work of his...but despite
>that, I found it rather entertaining. Plus, Luke Wilson has an
>incredible screen presence so he made it more than watchable. He's
>a talent (also see Bottle Rocket). Also, I think Roger Ebert gave
>it three stars but that's the only review I ever read so I'm not
>sure if it was embraced by the other critics.
Siskel liked it too.
Alas, I didn't manage to make it to the only Peninsula theater that shows
smaller (non-multiplex) movies in time to see it before it disappeared ...
and I'm not brave enough to drive into San Francisco, even for Vince's sake
(;-S
* Next week, DUE SOUTH moves to 6 pm Eastern & Pacific weekdays on TNT *
Meg: random groupie
<bjr...@unix.tamu.edu> muttered...
[Re: Home Fries]
> Also, I think Roger Ebert gave
>it three stars but that's the only review I ever read so I'm not
>sure if it was embraced by the other critics.
I don't remember the review in Entertainment Weekly being overly
positive. And the New York Times review wasn't terrible, but it was
far from a rave. Just sort of a so-so feeling.