Owen Wilson may be the hardest-working actor in Hollywood. There's rarely a calendar year that goes by that he's not starring in something and 2023 is no exception. In fact, he's in at least two films this year.
His latest, Paint, released a teaser trailer this week. In it, Wilson portrays Carl Nargle, a popular Vermont-based TV painter in the '70s or '80s from the looks of it, whose position in the community may be usurped by a younger rival.
His character is said to be reminiscent of public television artist Bob Ross, who hosted The Joy of Painting on PBS from 1983 to 1994. The show was broadcast in the U.S., Canada, and in Latin America and has experienced something of a revival in the digital age.
Ross died of cancer at the age of 52 in 1995. Wilson's character shares Ross' signature big, curly perm, inspirational homilies, and a passion for painting. Ross was a legitimate artist whose known works are worth thousands of dollars.
Though Paint is not a biopic, it lends itself to Ross comparisons. He was married three times and in the trailer, Nargle is shown with a few different women in what could be described as seductive scenarios.
Paint was written and directed by Brit McAdams whose credits include Atom TV, #IMomSoHard, Tosh.0, Triviatown and Katt Williams: American Hustle.
In the trailer, Wilson as Nargle says, "There's nothing like having the one you hold dearest, nearest when the world turns cold."
Apparently, he will need that adage to help him manage the emotions of being potentially replaced by a younger, female painter who treads the same TV territory. Nargle is then shown destroying his own works by throwing paint on them.
Paint premiers on IFC on April 7. It also stars Wendi McClendon-Levy, Ciara Renee, and Michaela Watkins.
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Wilson will next be seen in Haunted Mansion, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto and Winona Ryder.