Update:
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
5 questions with Dallas-born actor turned Hollywood savant Owen Wilson
He stars in the Apple TV+ golf comedy ‘Stick.’
Owen Wilson’s golf swing is getting better. Still, it’s not quite on par with the world’s No. 1 player, Dallas’ own Scottie Scheffler, he its.
But Wilson’s role in the Apple TV+ comedy Stick has brought him closer to the sport he considered intimidating when he was younger.
“Golf, there’s such a huge mental component to it,” the Dallas-born actor says. “It’s what makes it, to me, very dramatic to watch — seeing the way people react to pressure.”
In Stick, which releases on June 4, Wilson, 56, stars as Pryce Cahill, a former pro golfer going through a midlife crisis.
Recently divorced, Pryce cruises around town in a beat-up yellow sports car. His house is a germaphobe’s nightmare come to life, with shoes poking out near dishes in the sink and a murky-colored pool in the backyard. His golf career has foundered since a not-to-be-spoken-about meltdown during a game years ago.
Pryce spends his days as a sweet-talking salesman, convincing customers to buy expensive clubs, until he meets Santi, a young golf prodigy, who jolts new life into him.
The two embark on a journey to the U.S. amateur championship — a kind of feel-good, beat-the-odds tale akin to other Apple TV+ series including Shrinking and Ted Lasso.
Why do you think Pryce is so invested in Santi?
He’s reached a place in his life where he’s really stuck. There’s been a lot of failures. He hasn’t had a win and all of a sudden, he sees what is basically a lottery ticket. This could be another Tiger Woods. This could be one of the greatest players ever. Imagine you’re the first person to see someone who’s possibly a genius at a sport, and you have a chance to mentor and coach them and bring them along. That’s a really powerful thing.
You’ve been acting for decades. What about this role and this show stood out to you?
Learning to play golf. I didn’t know how to do it. My dad was a very good golfer, so I was always around it. It just seemed like an intimidating thing, a very grown-up sport that had kind of missed me.
When you would play sports with your dad and your brothers, Luke and Andrew, were you competitive?
We were all sort of competitive. So we’d go out and have putting matches and maybe bet a little bit. We were kind of a competitive family in that respect, not competitive about stuff that maybe would have been useful, like good grades.
One of the most fun things in life is playing with your friends. I’m not a bad sport where I’m gonna get angry and stuff, but I definitely care. But that’s the type of person you want to play. I have some friends that just don’t really care, and where’s the fun in competing with them? I care. So if you beat me, it feels good. And if I beat my brothers, it feels good, because I know that they’re suffering a little bit.
Tex-Mex or Texas barbecue?
I love Tex-Mex. I love Mi Cocina, Mia’s. I love Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth. I always seem to go there when I go back to Dallas.
Slow Bone BBQ is a great place, but Mexican food would be my last meal. California Mexican food isn’t the same.
Your brother Luke mentioned last year you two were interested in going through the Texas Monthly archives to mine for source material. If you were to create a Dallas or Texas-based movie, what would it be about?
Gosh, I’m such a huge Cowboys fan. Would there be a story there?
Maybe a coming-of-age story. I grew up in Dallas, so when I go back there, I get flooded with memories and feelings. It would be nice to come up with a story set there that could tap into what made that such a great place to grow up.
ex.co script has been added to the page
the conversation
Thank you for reading. We welcome your thoughts on this topic. Comments are moderated for adherence to our Community Guidelines. Please read the guidelines before participating.