Woody Allen was sceptical about casting Owen Wilson in his new movie Midnight In Paris as he is not the type of actor Allen would usually choose for the leading man.
Allen re-wrote the script after meeting Wilson and realising he would play the role of a romantic dreamer perfectly.
David Krumholtz (10 Things I Hate About You) was Allen’s first choice for the role of leading man, but he was swayed by Wilson’s charm.
Allen tells WENN, “I had written this for an East coast thoughtful person, someone who you would associate with New York or an Ivy League school; a part I might have played if I was younger. I thought of David Krumholtz playing him at one point. I couldn’t get the right person for it and then Owen’s name came up and I thought, 'Owen, you must be kidding, he’s a beachcomber. This guy’s at home with a surfboard.
“Then I investigated him and found out he’s a cowboy; he was born in Dallas and lives in Hawaii - so this is the opposite of who I want. But he is very talented and funny and he does have a kind of melancholy streak to him. Then I met Owen and found he’s quite bright. He’s very well read and very well spoken and not at all a cowboy. I never knew it and I didn’t suspect it from his physical image.”
Allen admits that he loved working with the Wedding Crashers star, saying it was a pleasure:
“He was wonderful to work with. He brought his little mutt dog with him to Paris and the dog was on the set all the time chasing after Owen and I hate dogs. I never had an actor with a dog - but he’s great.”
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