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Patrick Wilson opens up about the roles that shaped him, the complicated relationship he has with fame.
A new Netflix drama has brought Patrick Wilson into a creative circle he had rarely crossed before.
In Jay Kelly, directed by Noah Baumbach, he steps into a compact but meaningful role that intersects with the film’s meditation on celebrity, legacy and reinvention.
As George Clooney’s fading screen icon wanders Europe questioning his future, Wilson’s character becomes part of the contrast the story builds around ambition and identity.
New creative ground
Wilson told ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan that Baumbach was the central draw.
He said the film offered something increasingly rare in his career, the chance to collaborate with an entirely new group of filmmakers after a decade dominated by work in the Aquaman and Conjuring franchises.
He described joining a cast led by Clooney, Adam Sandler and Laura Dern as a kind of bucket-list moment, even if his time on set was brief.
Working with actors he had grown up watching, he added, was part of the excitement.
Asked what Clooney was like, Wilson said the star embodied exactly what audiences expect. “Exactly what you think,” he remarked, noting that both Clooney and Sandler combine ease with discipline in a way he associates with “the great ones.”
Lessons from the industry
Wilson reflected on his early years working with Mike Nichols, Meryl Streep and Al Pacino on Angels in America, saying their generosity set the tone for him professionally.
To him, kindness and consistency remain the most enduring lessons of long careers.
He recalled advice from Clooney about being defined by failures as much as successes, saying the idea of a career as a marathon rather than a sprint had shaped his outlook.
Coming from theatre, he added, kept him focused on doing solid work rather than chasing hype.
Wilson admitted he never felt a single moment of “stardom,” though a beach encounter in Crete, where a stranger recognized him from The A-Team, reminded him how widely films circulate.
Creative ambitions
Asked about dream roles, Wilson said he is driven less by characters than by directors.
After recently completing a Cape Fear series with Amy Adams and Javier Bardem, he noted his hope to one day work with Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese in a leading capacity.
He listed several films that would make his own career highlight reel, among them Phantom, Little Children, Insidious, The Conjuring, Aquaman and the little-seen Barry Munday. Many projects, he said, are intertwined with memories of raising his children.
Looking back
Wilson said he is unusually comfortable watching his old work, thanks in part to growing up in a family of broadcasters.
Some performances still hold up, he said, including Little Children, while others reveal the evolution that comes with age and experience.
Reflecting on early days on screen, he said it remains “a funny thing to grow up on camera,” yet viewing those roles now offers perspective rather than embarrassment.
Sources: Screenrant
