Rainn Wilson is 42. He has a wife named Holiday, who writes short stories, and a young son named Walter. He is nominated, again, for a best supporting actor Emmy for playing Dwight Schrute, the alpha underling on "The Office." He talks in soft, precise sentences, which seem to pair perfectly with his endearingly dorky persona.
He seems a little like Dwight, but nice.
Now Rainn Wilson is a movie star, or trying to be, in "The Rocker," a comedy opening Wednesday. He plays Robert "Fish" Fishman, a washed-up ex-heavy metal drummer who gets a second shot at fame with his nephew's high school rock band. It's a Will Ferrell-ish type role, right down to Wilson's hilariously wince-worthy nude scene.
On a recent visit to Atlanta, Wilson stopped in at Criminal Records in Little Five Points, where he shopped a bit, showed off his drum skills for the staff, and answered a lot of questions. In keeping with the movie's musical theme, we repackage his answers as Rainn Wilson's Greatest Hits.
HIS FIRST NAME
"I had bohemian parents living on a houseboat in Seattle, almost beatnik kind of hippies. My mom wanted to name me Thucydides, after the famous Greek historian. My dad wanted to name me Rainer after Rainer Maria Rilke, the poet. Then they thought I would get confused with Mount Rainier. So somehow it ended up being Rainn with two n's. Maybe Rain with one n was too hippie even for them. It's crazy."
HIS HIGH SCHOOL ROCK BAND
"We were called Collected Moss, which was a play off the Rolling Stones. We played two gigs. One was for a bunch of 11-year-olds in a church basement. The other was an audition for a battle of the bands which we did not get in. Which means we were not in the six best bands at my high school in Winnetka, Ill. "
WHAT HIS CHARACTERS FISH, DWIGHT AND ARTHUR ON "SIX FEET UNDER" HAVE IN COMMON
"I would say they're outsiders. I just think that's my tribe. Those are the people I relate to. Growing up I always felt like an outsider. I moved to L.A. eight years ago, and I was sick and tired of trying to be a good theater actor who could transform into any role. I said this is who I am. I'm gonna wear my glasses and dress weird, and be myself. And if they don't want to cast me then [to heck with them]."
HIS NUDE SCENE IN "THE ROCKER"
"It's all in the script. This former heavy metal drummer who's given up on all of his dreams gets famous for being the Naked Drummer on YouTube. I'm happy to take off my clothes when it's for comic effect. I'll do it right now if you want. I'll take my clothes off right here in this record store.
"I wore what they call a modesty pouch, which is a little satchel that you put around your private jewels. It's got a little drawstring on it. Of course in my case it's like a gunnysack with a rope."
HIS SENSE OF HUMOR
"I've never done stand-up, but I've been thinking about it. I think it would be fun. I have very, very strange jokes. I have 11 jokes, and this is my favorite joke I've written. A horse walks into a bar and the bartender says, 'Why the long face?' The horse says, 'Bone cancer.' "
HIS FANS
"I'm always amazed by Dwight's fans. It's a strange amalgamation of pimply teenage nerds, goth chicks, frat boys with backward baseball caps and flip-flops, and a lot of older housewives. It's a very eclectic bunch. A Dwight fan convention would be a very strange thing."
> ON ACCESSATLANTA.COM: More photos of Wilson's visit to Criminal Records.
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