What Really Happened To Owen Wilson's Nose
Apparently, Owen Wilson has broken his nose not once, but twice. So how did that happen?
In a 2001 feature in The Los Angeles Times, Wilson addressed his broken nose and said that the first time was when he was in high school and goofing around with his friends, while the second was in college during a football game. The actor even said people told him he looked strange: "You look kind of odd, disfigured." Unsurprisingly, Wilson had a great sense of humor about the whole thing, joking, "You know, probably my nose wouldn't have been that great even if it hadn't been broken."
More recently, Wilson participated in Wired Magazine's YouTube series "The Web's Most Searched Questions" and, once again, had to talk about his nose. Responding to frequent search engine queries about how he broke his nose, Wilson said, "At University of Texas, yeah, playing intermural flag football and I got banged. But also, I think just, like, as a kid, just rough-housing."
Owen Wilson was a major comedy star — until he struggled with his mental health
It makes sense that Owen Wilson would have plenty of jokes locked and loaded about his twice-broken nose; he's one of the funniest actors currently working in Hollywood today. Alongside his brothers Luke and Andrew — also actors — Wilson made a name for himself thanks to Wes Anderson's early film "Bottle Rocket" and began working with Ben Stiller in 1996 on "The Cable Guy" (which Stiller directed), forming a professional relationship and friendship that went on to characterize his career. Whether you know him from Stiller's comedy "Zoolander," the raunchy romantic comedy "Wedding Crashers," family-friendly action epics like "Night at the Museum," the Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris," or any number of collaborations with Anderson (including "The Royal Tenenbaums," "The Darjeeling Limited," "The French Dispatch," and many more), you know Wilson's distinctive voice (and nose).
In 2007, tragedy struck. Wilson, who lives with depression, attempted to take his life and was ultimately saved by his brother Luke. Wilson hasn't spoken about the attempt very much and ultimately returned to acting — and has been performing ever since — but he did briefly speak to Ryan D'Agostino in August of 2021 about it for Esquire, saying that his brothers Andrew and Luke were instrumental in helping him recover.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
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These days, Owen Wilson is officially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
These days, Owen Wilson is working steadily thanks to his role as Time Variance Authority agent Mobius M. Mobius on Marvel's Disney+ original series "Loki," where he stars alongside Tom Hiddleston as the god of mischief (marking a reunion between the two, as they both previously appeared in "Midnight in Paris" together). According to Wilson himself in that Esquire interview with Ryan D'Agostino, he was excited to work on "Loki," despite being a newcomer to the MCU.
"They asked me a lot about—'It sounds like you had to be convinced to do this.' I don't know where they're getting that. That isn't true. The director just called me and told me the idea, and I wanted to work on it. But somehow what seems to be in their press notes, maybe, is that I know zero about the MCU. I don't know a ton about it, but I know—" at which point he trailed off and admitted that he maybe didn't know a ton about the Marvel Cinematic Universe before he joined it (which, to be clear, is fine).
"Loki" ran for two seasons and garnered positive reactions from both critics and fans — and Mobius is, genuinely, a fantastic role for Wilson. In any case, let's hope the actor doesn't break his nose for a third time.