Owen Wilson has one of those faces. It doesn't matter what he's talking about, he makes you laugh. That voice helps too. Undeniably recognisable from the many films in which he's reduced us to tears, his strong Texan drawl can transport you to the set of Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Zoolander or Meet the Parents.
Yet meet him in person and it's a little confusing. The voice and expressions are there but it all lacks a little animation.
Maybe he was tired. Bored. Shy.
While still funny in places, Wilson wasn't what we were expecting during an In Conversation event at the Dubai International Film Festival, where he was awarded Variety's International Star of the Year award.
In typical Wilson-movie humour, it was the more subtle jokes, laced with sarcastic undertones, which livened up an otherwise dry conversation about the actor's lengthy career.
"It's great to collect such a tastefully-designed award," he said to a few laughs. "This will fit perfectly in my luggage, although it weighs a bit," he added.
Owen on:
Working with Woody Allen...
Wilson plays a time-travelling writer in Allen's Midnight in Paris, a film about a Hollywood screenwriter struggling to write his first novel in Paris and Allen's alter-ego.
Better known for more commercial films, the Dallas-born star says he got a "well-written" letter from Allen asking him to star in the movie.
"He wrote me a nice letter saying, ‘You may find it more intellectual than the characters you normally play, but if it interests you we can spend six weeks in Paris,' and it did interest me," said Wilson, although he admitted that he initially found it a bit unnerving to be with the famed director.
"He is a real gentleman, very polite," he continued. "I arrived three days before the filming in Paris. He didn't talk to me much about the role so there was not much pressure. But I was nervous like you would be to be with a legendary teacher."
Wilson's character is based on Allen's alter-ego, but the actor says he did not imitate the 76-year-old filmmaker.
"I am not good at imitation. People may say Woody was like that, but Woody would say, ‘No he is a different guy. I come from New York, he is from California. He loves dogs and I hate them.'"
The success of the film...
Midnight in Paris, which was filmed over six weeks in Paris in the autumn of last year, is Allen's highest grossing film to date. "Travelling back to this romantic period in Paris was appealing to people," he said. "I think Paris is a city which does a lot of the heavy lifting for us in the movie. I think that contributed to the success of it.
"I know with Cars there are kids that have seen the movie like 50 times," he added, aware it was a strange comparison but urging for patience for the punch line. "Kids love the repetition. They haven't seen the movie once until they've seen it 50 times. It seems like with Midnight in Paris, we were able to get adults to think like that.
Directing his own film...
Wilson, who started his career as a writer-actor, hesitantly said he would like to write and direct a film. "I would at some point of time. It would be fun to write something of my own and direct."
However, don't hold out for any theatre or stand-up comedy. "You would not believe it, but I don't like public speaking. I get nervous. It would be scary," he said.
Friendship...
Things started out for Wilson with an acting debut in the 1996 comedy Bottle Rocket, which he co-wrote with Wes Anderson.
Despite terrible screen test results, the film caught the attention of big names in Hollywood, including Ben Stiller, who invited Wilson to appear in The Cable Guy with Jim Carrey.
"Ben really loved Bottle Rocket and said he was excited to find stuff we could work on together," said the 43-year-old.
Stiller and Wilson have since worked on around 10 movies together, including Starsky & Hutch, Meet the Parents and Zoolander.
All three movies were a success at the box office, something Wilson puts down to a "strong friendship".
"I've worked with Ben Stiller a lot because I like his sense of humour and he's an incredibly hard worker. I don't have to worry too much that he'll be sweating the details."
Dubai...
Jetting in with his mother, Wilson was impressed with the water temperature.
"The water here is much warmer than Malibu is right now," he said. "Actually, it's warmer than Malibu ever is. The changes here are more radical than anything I've seen before. I was looking at old pictures of Dubai and there wasn't much here 30 years ago. You go to the old part of the city and it's not that old. It's a bit like Dallas where we have a 7-Eleven from 1981 and it's a landmark."
