Why Did 600 People Gather in Melbourne to 'Say Wow Like Owen Wilson'?

The internet. It’s a catalyst for absurd things to blossom to reality. One of these things was the “Say Wow Like Owen Wilson” event that happened yesterday at Melbourne’s Federation Square.

Say what you will about the event, this heart-warming attempt at togetherness, created by the meme page “Owen Wilson Wowposting”, went viral. The facebook event had more than 5,000 people attending, but, more significantly, 600 real people did actually attend.

But that still doesn’t explain the most important question — why?

We went to Federation Square for the event and asked some of the gathered Owen Wilson fans exactly that.

David

VICE: Hey David, why are you at this event?
David: For me, it was about embracing the “wow” culture that is Melbourne. It’s a big thing about Owen Wilson that he can just bring so many people together.

What’s exactly is “wow culture”?
The best way to define it would be just the fact that everyone can come together to something that seems so trivial, and say “wow” together. It’s something really wonderful.

OK, that’s fair enough. Is Owen an inspiration, or an influence to you at all?
Owen Wilson was my favourite actor and my icon when I was younger. It always meant a lot having him there in my life at that age.

How exactly did he help out your life when you were younger?
Actually, to be honest with you, I just really liked his movies. He seems like a nice guy.

True. Does 600 people coming to this event show he is still a relevant actor?
I mean, you see him now and then in movies. I wouldn’t say I follow him as much as I used to, and maybe he’s not as popular anymore, but because of what he meant to me when I was younger I get a smile whenever I do see him in a role. I’ll never be disappointed to see him every now and then.

Do you reckon he might due for a big comeback?
Fingers crossed! But, I mean, I was hoping Zoolander 2 was going to be better.

Yeah. I didn’t watch it, but it looked pretty shit.

James

VICE: James. Why are you here saying “wow” like Owen Wilson at Federation Square?James: To be honest, I’m just here to support a really old mate of mine who’s put on the event.

That’s nice of you. Were you expecting this to be as popular as it was?
It’s a whole lot more than I was expecting. And hey, [it’s a] great thing to see something get the amount of support it has.

There’s got to be more than simply supporting your mate…
I’m definitely a big fan. He’s a good guy to watch on Netflix. Been a good one to throw on on a Sunday night.

What defines Owen Wilson as an actor?
He’s a pretty good actor in my opinion. He’s pretty funny, and he’s been in a lot of iconic and funny movies.

Has Owen Wilson or any of those movies affected you, your life, or inspired in any way?Nah, not at all.

Nicolas, a.k.a Hatch

VICE: So Hatch, you created this event. Why would you do that?
Hatch: I’ve got a meme page about Owen Wilson’s “wow”, so originally the idea was to do it as a joke to relate to that. But after creating the event and seeing how popular it was, I realised people really want the positivity of Owen Wilson wowing in their lives.

What is it about Owen Wilson and his wow that’s so popular?
Owen Wilson has an iconic voice. Everyone knows his “wow”, and he’s just a wholesome figure. And nostalgia is incredibly popular right now — just look at Stranger Things. Owen represents that early 00’s time in Hollywood, The Golden Age of Hollywood, and along with that, people just need the positivity right now that this event brings.

Was that really the Golden Age of Hollywood?
You try and tell me Wedding Crashers isn’t a cinematic masterpiece!

Were you happy with the amount of people that turned up? 5,000 people were ‘attending’ on the event page.
I was really happy with the numbers. It felt like there were about a couple thousand people, but there were about 600 so I’m told. I was told people came from Ballarat and all over interstate. It was very touching to see how many people came.

Interstate?
Yeah!

Do you have anymore Owen Wilson events planned?
I’ve got a few things planned in the works to keep the Owen love going, and who knows what could happen. A public holiday could even be on the cards.

Caitlin and Jas

VICE: Hi guys, why are you here today?
Jas: We’ve known Hatch and been following his Owen Wilson page for a while so we thought to come along. And, it turned out to be a really crazy, ginormous event.

I get the impression there’s not a lot of care for Owen Wilson out there.
Jas: I don’t know about that. In a way, we all grew up watching his movies and it was something me and my friends were all obsessed with.
Caitlin: Yeah, exactly. Owen Wilson is an actor that’s really iconic with our generation.

That’s a big call to make. How is he so iconic
C: It really relates to that whole nostalgic throwback. I’d say that’s why he’s still so popular. I mean, I saw Wedding Crashers when I was 12 in the cinema, and because of that, it’s just one of those movies I can go back to and still laugh about. Even the scenes with Will Ferrell where he’s like “Mom! Meatloaf!” are just still so funny and iconic.

With his movies standing the test of the time, could Owen Wilson become our iconic actor? The Marlon Brando of our generation?
C: Uh… probably not.
J: I think he’s slowing down at the moment actually. I think bringing it back now is a bit… I don't know.
C: Well he’s started doing more Woody Allen movies, so I guess he’s trying to be more serious. Vince Vaughn is actually trying to be a serious actor too now that I think about it. But I don’t watch Woody Allen movies on the basis that I don’t like Woody Allen.

Could Owen Wilson reinvent himself as a serious actor?
J: He’s like Adam Sandler. It’s so hard to take him seriously when he’s trying to be serious but good on him for trying.
C: Yeah, he’s just going to stay as the Owen Wilson we see now, I feel.

Cassie

So Cassie, tell me how Owen Wilson is relevant to you.
Cassie: He’s just such a big famous person. He’s in Hollywood in all of these blockbusters. He’s just an iconic actor for all of us.

Does he have the same iconic presence as he did 15 years ago?
It’s definitely dropped down a bit, and that’s why I think people care more about Owen Wilson now - because he’s become this irrelevant thing.

So this event is laughing at Owen Wilson’s career?
Oh no! I think a lot of people still love Owen Wilson for what he was, and this is [us] trying to bring him back.

Do you think it’s possible to really bring Owen Wilson back to what he used to be?
Yeah, for sure. He’s such a well known actor and a lot of people love him, so I don’t see why he couldn’t.

Yeah, why not. Fuck, Marry, or Kill: Owen Wilson, Woodrow Wilson, or that volleyball from Castaway.
I’d marry the volleyball because that’d be good company. If it can keep someone company on a deserted island, that’s good enough for me. I’d fuck Owen Wilson obviously because of his nose. And I’d kill Woodrow Wilson because I don’t know who that is.

Fair enough.