I have kind of a soft spot for Rainn Wilson. I can’t even explain why, I just enjoy him. I particularly enjoyed him playing against Allison Janney on Mom. Admittedly, I don’t know much about him. Like I just found out from this Guardian interview that Rainn had a somewhat nomadic childhood, and he is an adherent of the Bahaí’í faith. And that he wrote an autobiography, The Bassoon King, in which all that information is given. Rainn is promoting his new thriller, Don’t Tell a Soul. I always default to comedy when I think of Rainn, but he has range. And because he’s not a Hollywood pretty boy, he has more character options, too. Unfortunately, that same face has kept him from leading man territory, but Rainn said he made peace with that a while ago.
Some actors associated with a signature role will tire of talking about it. No such preciousness from Rainn Wilson, who appears on camera from his Los Angeles home wearing a grey T-shirt emblazoned with the word “Scranton”. That Pennsylvania city provided the setting for the US version of the mockumentary sitcom The Office, which ran for nine widely adored, award-winning series. Wilson earned three Emmy nominations for playing the livid, disagreeable Dwight, the Rust Belt equivalent of Mackenzie Crook’s Gareth. Today’s beard and baseball cap, as well as his chipper demeanour, banishes all memory of the pasty face, DIY haircut and startled expression he wore in that show.
On screen, he can be spookily reserved and unreachable, or gauche and goofy, as he is as a credulous alien in Galaxy Quest or a failed heavy metal drummer in The Rocker. That he can embody these disparate qualities is, he thinks, partly an accident of physiognomy. “When you put a camera on someone, you’re seeing a lot of what’s already there,” he says. “With me, it’s like – I don’t even want to go directly for ‘odd’ – but I’m an offbeat-looking guy who probably has a comedic side, just because I have this big, weird face. I’m never going to be Josh Brolin no matter how much I want it.”
That was a lesson learned in his earliest days as an actor. “I had agents who were, like: ‘You need to get your teeth fixed, build loads of muscles and lose weight.’ But I realised early on that I was in the character actor tradition. Also, sensibility-wise, I’m weird! I play chess, I play the bassoon, I read science fiction. I’m not out there hunting, driving a truck or …” He throws up his hands in mock-exasperation. “What do leading men even do in their spare time? Gut trout?”
I find Josh Brolin such an interesting choice of actor to compare himself to. Maybe that’s who Rainn wanted to look like once upon a time, we all have our physical ideal. Brian Dennehy (RIP!) once said something similar to Rainn. Studios were always pushing him to style himself differently and go for Rock Hudson kind of roles. He knew he was going to get lost so he kept his look, carved out a career as a character actor and always had work. Hollywood is a hard business to make it in, but not a hard business to figure out. Rainn found where he’s comfortable and has established himself there. I love his leading man downtime activities, though. I’m just picturing every heartthrob gutting trout as they read scripts.
In his new movie, Rainn’s character spends most the movie stuck in a hole (it’s in the trailer, that’s not a spoiler). They built him a room above ground with a side door because Rainn is claustrophobic. I have claustrophobic issues as well so to be honest, knowing this will allow me to see the movie. Even knowing the actor was confined keeps me from watching these types of movies. As soon as I start thinking about it, I start feeling the walls close in. So, I appreciate him admitting that. It looks, from the trailer, like Rainn’s character goes from vulnerable to creepy. That’s a hard switch to convince an audience of in two hours. But see, a big, weird face would totally help pull that off.
Photo credit: Instagram and Avalon Red
With the beard in the header photo, he’s giving me Philip Seymour Hoffman vibes-not a bad thing!
I know he said it, but I don’t find his face weird at all. He definitely has a character actor face.
Rainn is such a great actor, and I like his face. He was the one that kept me watching the Office right till the end of the series.
I like his face, too, but his talent is even better. Prettier men get fewer interesting roles (although get paid far more, no doubt). But I’ll take actual talent over pretty any day.
Call me crazy but I do see a bit of a Josh Brolin look to him. I’m guessing a casting director said it to him one time. It shows you how stupid Hollywood can be? Why try for the next Josh Brolin, and not just the next good actor.
I do too – they both have big heads and faces. (I also have a big head, thankfully no one has compared me to Josh Brolin.)
I follow him on IG and he occasionally post photos from his earlier years and yes, he did look a little like a younger James Brolin, so I can see the Josh comparison.
I’m willing to bet he thought Josh Brolin was really cool back when he was in ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Thrashin’ and possibly still has that young man idolization, maybe? I can’t help but adore Rainn but that’s because Dwight Schrute is one of my favorite characters of all time–possibly my ultimate all time favorite. On an unrelated note, I personally have always found Josh Brolin physically attractive (his personality needs some work…) but that’s because my husband bares a really, really striking resemblance to him.
I am with you in the Rainn adoration. I argue with myself, often, about which comedic character I love more; Dwight Schrute, C.J. Cregg, Alex P. Keaton, or Leslie Knope (obviously).
Male actors can have a renaissance as the ‘hotness’ as they age. George Clooney was a working actor, but no one special until he showed up on ER with a greying Brutus cut and a more ‘rugged’ look. Josh Brolin worked when he was younger, but only had real success once he aged a bit. Women, of course, mostly just become invisible.
And Steve freaking Carell is the hottest silver fox now! His glow up is insane.
Steve Carell has ALWAYS been on my laminated list, but I think he’s starting to pop on other people’s too.
I don’t know about a big, weird face. The geometric proportions of his face are perfect in every way but one. His nose is too small.
Haha! Good one! Office fan here!
He’s really a smart guy, and super talented.
Whenever Rainn Wilson is mentioned, I am compelled to remind everyone that he was in House of 1000 Corpses.
Googling now. Also, he’s a character on Radio Rental, a podcast. Really great creepy true stories. My son and I listen to them.
Reading the snippets of his interview make me really want to see more of him. He seems smart, and self-aware, and totally charming.
Scranton what? The electric city!
That’s going to be stuck in my head all day now but I LOVE that he wore a Scranton t-shirt and obviously still appreciates his time on the office
Oh no, now I’m going to be singing that all day too, LOL!
I like Rainn a lot, he seems like a kind, interesting guy. Personally I would think being a working character actor is probably the ideal gig for someone who truly loves acting. You get to do all the fun stuff and be involved in great projects, but don’t have the media scrutiny or insane physical expectations. Those roles are usually more interesting too.
You’re not alone with not being able to watch some things due to claustrophobia. I can start to feel nauseous, have rapid breathing, and I get fully tense head to toe watching anything where people are in caves or stuck in small spaces. I have to close my eyes. I couldn’t watch a whole movie centered on those kinds of settings. Even after overcoming a lot to be able to handle claustrophobia in my life, like being able to get through elevator rides, I just can’t sit and watch that stuff!
I first saw him in Six Feet Under, where he played Arthur the odd mortician. It took me a bit to realize he was the guy from Galaxy Quest (which is such a great movie … Alan Rickman! Tony Shalhoub! Missy Pyle! Sam Rockwell! And Sigorney Weaver!)
He was at NYU drama school with Peter Krause, and I’ve always found them an interesting comparison, they’ve both got blocky heads, a little bit of goofiness and in characters can give the sense that they are just this side of irritated with whatever’s going on (hard to explain but it’s like even in happy, relaxing scenes they aren’t fully relaxed, something little could tick them off)
Krause leaned more into the leading man image, and was able to carve out a solid career in that on TV (though with some goofy comedy roles that hint he could have fit as a character actor). But Wilson leaned into the character actor side and has had a much more diverse career.
Wilson’s non-acting projects indicate he’s got warmth, curiosity and joy about life, and wants to do work that explores human life, meaning and makes the world a better place – one project Soul Pancake involved building a web community, content production group with a diverse staff and outlook focused on life’s big questions and how different people find joy, connection, dignity, resilience and meaning in their lives. I thing there was a charitable arm too, that donated to arts programs and artists, students and teachers, social activists, support services etc. Really good stuff! (Think Archewell, but without a royal connection and with an interactive user community, some professionally made content and subject matter experts and professionally curated user made content, with a spiritual, wholistic, valuing and respectful of all life, uplifting perspective)
IIRC some of their shorts used to show up on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday.
But what I really love him for was the Celebrity Playlist on iTunes from ages ago. I was in a mood one day and downloaded about a half-dozen different CPL’s, and from his I found some of my now favorite artists- Josh Ritter, Jayhawks, My Morning Jacket, etc
He also did one of those Celebrity IOU home makeovers for his son’s childhood nanny, where he seemed sweet and caring and funny.
Love him! I didn’t know about his book, so off to order it.
Rainn wandered into a hip-hop night my brother was dj-ing in Toronto several years ago, came up to the booth to chat and gave him a pound, haha. 🤜 He said Rainn was a very cool guy, friendly and chilled out.
Interesting faces and character actors are the best. They have my interest and respect, respectively.
Josh Brolin beat up Diane Lane in their marriage (I remember at least one domestic violence incident). The face is not what matters: it’s the heart.
+1000
Hi, Rainn, please pass along to your equally glorious “big, weird faced” brethren, that it’s only tweens, teens, and twenty-somethings that are into the Josh Brolins of the world, and the adult women love you all the more for being hilarious, smart, and most importantly, not Josh Brolin.